Written by: Chloe Smith
Southern Adventist University’s business club, Enactus, is kickstarting a new project titled Clearwater. The project aims to find a solution for the “microplastic” pollution in the Tennessee River and improve the quality of Chattanooga’s water.
According to Southern’s website, Enactus is an international non-profit organization composed of student, academic and business leaders, dedicated to empowering students to create positive change through entrepreneurial action.
The idea for Clearwater came about when Seth Mace, Enactus president and junior marketing major, discovered a study by Andreas Fath, a chemist at the University of Furtwangen in Germany who specializes in wastewater treatment.
While traversing the 652-mile Tennessee River in 2017, Fath collected water samples that revealed alarming pollution levels. The study identified the Tennessee River as one of the dirtiest rivers in America in terms of microplastics.
After learning about the river’s pollution, Mace proposed the idea for Enactus, eventually launching the Clearwater initiative. Needing a project manager, he appointed Preston Waters, senior marketing major, to the position.
“I was super interested in managing a project,” Waters said. “Getting to start a nonprofit from the ground up is super exciting.”
With the project still in the early developmental stages, Clearwater’s team currently consists of four additional members, including sophomore marketing major Steve Mota, sophomore accounting major Jaziel Soto, senior accounting major Mike Narita and sophomore accounting major Nick Veal.
“My project manager, Preston Waters, introduced the initiative to me, and I was immediately drawn to its mission,” Mota said.
The team is currently focused on conducting research and finding methods that can reduce the level of microplastic pollution in the river.
“Currently, we are all working as researchers,” Mota said. “[We are] focused on gaining a comprehensive understanding of the microplastics issue in the Tennessee River and identifying effective strategies to address it.”
Clearwater team members said they have found key realizations while delving into the research, including where the microplastics originate and their harmful effects. In addition to plastic bags, noted as a contributing factor in Fath’s research, there are other causes.
Jill Crossman, a hydrogeologist from the University of Windsor in Ontario, Canada, attributes some of the microplastics polluting America’s waterways to clothing particles washed down drains.
“What we’ve been researching is the clothes that you wear, a lot of them are made out of synthetics,” Waters said. “That’s where a lot of the microplastics come from because you have the water in the washing machine. But where does all that water go? It goes to a waste management plant. And oftentimes, waste management plants don’t do a good job at cleaning all the microplastics, and they just release it into the river.”
When asked about the danger of microplastics, Waters shared that through his research, he learned about its harmful effects on the human reproductive system and the dangers it can present to Chattanooga residents.
“They have found microplastics in human placenta and breastmilk,” Waters said.
After learning where microplastics come from and what threats they can cause, Enactus is now looking into ways to combat that issue, according to Waters. The team is exploring the possibility of using filters.
“We know there’s a way to stop it,” Waters said. “We just want to create filters to help those waste management plants filter out the water.”
Beyond the researching process, the team plans to make steps towards collaborating with potential partners in Chattanooga.
“We are establishing a solid foundation and connecting with local organizations for collaboration,” Mace explained. “Once the planning phase is complete, we will work with our partners hands-on to address the issue. At that point, we will expand our team to enhance our impact. We will need a range of skill sets, including engineers, biologists, marketers and others to tackle the microplastics problem facing our river.”
As the Clearwater team members look towards the future, they are hopeful that they can make big steps towards a cleaner Tennessee River.
“I envision Project Clearwater making substantial contributions,” Mota said. “… Through fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, we aim to advance research efforts that will ensure the long-term safety and sustainability of our water resources.”
To learn more about Project Clearwater and Enactus, go to www.southern.edu/academics/business/enactus.
