Did you know that 2,700 liters of water are required to produce just one t-shirt? Or that cotton uses more insecticides and pesticides than any other crop? An engaging video traces the cycle of t-shirt production from cotton bolls to the environmental impact of the process.

Concepts

human impact on the environment, global environment

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Have class members watch the video, complete the comprehension check, and research some of the links out of class before returning for a full class discussion
• Show the video in full-screen mode to avoid the comment section

Classroom Considerations

• Includes an advertisement for TED-Ed's student voice program at the end of the video

Pros

• The video includes suggestions for what consumers can do to reduce the carbon footprint of t-shirt production

Cons

• None

Common Core

SL.4.2 SL.5.2 SL.6.2 SL.7.2 SL.8.2 SL.9-10.2 SL.11-12.2