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June 03, 2025

In December 2023, University of Victoria Geography professor Dr. Jutta Guttberlet co-led a unique teaching and research initiative alongside Dr. Sylmara Gonçalves Dias of the University of São Paulo (USP). As part of USP’s Postgraduate Program in Sustainability, the team conducted a minicourse on participatory and action-based research methods with a focus on plastic pollution in marginalized urban spaces. The course took students out of the classroom and into the field—specifically, into Jardim Keralux, a peripheral neighbourhood in São Paulo—through the use of photovoice methodology.

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What Is Photovoice?

Photovoice is a participatory visual research method that equips participants with cameras to document, reflect on, and communicate issues of concern. It is often used to elevate local voices and stimulate community dialogue and policy attention. This approach enables a deeper understanding of social and environmental realities as seen and experienced by those who live them.

In this project, students applied photovoice during a transect walk through Jardim Keralux, engaging with residents and capturing images that revealed the visible and hidden impacts of plastic waste in their everyday lives.

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Exploring Peripheral Spaces

Jardim Keralux, situated on the edge of São Paulo’s East Zone and wedged between the highly contaminated Tietê River and the high use Ayrton Senna highway, is home to about 8,000 residents. The community suffers from frequent flooding, trash accumulation, limited sanitation, and a complete lack of green space. The area was built atop illegal toxic waste deposits left behind by chemical industrial companies, which pose significant health and environmental risks. Despite these challenges, residents have spent over 20 years fighting for housing regularization, better infrastructure, and environmental remediation. 

For over three hours, students walked the neighbourhood, taking photographs, conducting informal interviews, and recording field notes. They observed plastic in drainage systems, yards, roadsides, and commercial areas. These findings revealed not only the material footprint of plastic but also the social inequalities that underpin its distribution and disposal—such as the lack of waste management services and the resulting burden placed on residents.

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From Observation to Reflection

Following the fieldwork, students reconvened to analyze and share their findings. The photovoice method provided a platform for critical reflection, allowing participants to consider the broader implications of their images. The omnipresence of plastic in Jardim Keralux became a symbol of systemic neglect, revealing how environmental issues are deeply entwined with race, class, and geography.

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Teaching for Social and Environmental Justice

This project exemplifies how participatory research methodologies can bridge the gap between academic inquiry and lived experience. By engaging directly with communities and urban environments, students not only deepened their understanding of socio-environmental challenges but also contributed to the co-production of knowledge with real-world significance.

The collaboration between UVic and USP highlights the transformative power of experiential, community-engaged learning. In the face of global challenges like plastic pollution and urban inequality, such approaches are essential in preparing students to be thoughtful, ethical, and action-oriented scholars.

Read the full study here: