Abdul Muqeet – The Paper Bag Boy
Abdul Muqeet is a young man on a mission to save the environment, starting in his hometown of Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
When he was just 8 years old, he learned from his mom just how bad plastic bags are for the environment. Did you know, for example, that every square mile of the ocean has about 46,000 pieces of floating plastic in it! Or that a single plastic bag can take up to 1,000 years to degrade!
Abdul questioned, if they are so bad, why would anyone use them? But then, he did something that most people do not. He tried to solve the problem.
Abdul started to make paper shopping bags out of recycled newspaper. To date, he has made over 6,000 bags, has won many awards for his actions and has earned the nickname “The Paper Bag Boy”. Abdul also encourages his schoolmates, companies and others to join his cause in promoting alternatives to plastic bags.
Learn about his inspiring story and then check out things you can do to help the environment.
Check out the video that shows the very UNinspiring story of a plastic bag!
Additional Resources:
- Check out other IMK stories about inspiring kids and people that are helping the environment
- See some amazing facts about the world’s plastic bag problem
- Learn more about Abdul’s country, the United Arab Emirates
Topics for Discussion:
- How many plastic bags do you think your family uses each year? What are some ways that you could reduce this?
- What is most unique about Abdul?
Take Action:
- Get ideas to help the environment from PBS Zoom
- Check out the Action for Nature community which encourages young people to take action to nurture and protect the environment
Teacher Features:
- Here is a link to a Critical Reading Skills worksheet that you can use for elementary school students.
- Here is a link to a Critical Reading Skills worksheet that you can use for middle school students.
