Second Workshop: "Sustainability and Recycling"

The second time around, we emphasized the importance of reducing, reusing, and recycling.  With finite resources, small contributions to limit consumption and waste can make a big difference!  Here are some fun facts that kept the students on their toes:

• Americans represent 5% of the world's population, but produce 30% of the world's garbage.
• Energy saved from recycling 1 aluminum can could operate a computer or TV for 3 hours.
• Americans throw away enough wood and paper annually to heat 500 homes for 200 years.
• 200 pounds of recycled paper can save:
• 400 gallons of oil
• 3 cubic yards of landfill
• 17 trees
• Americans use 4 million plastic bottles every hour, but only 1 out of 4 are recycled.

With the students' attention, we moved into the vocabulary words..

1. Recycling: materials that could be wasted are turned into valued resources.  It prevents pollution, saves energy, and conserves natural resources.

2. Biodegradable: the breakdown of materials by the environment.

3. Landfills: a carefully engineered depression in the ground (or built on top of the ground) into which wastes are put.

We explained that it is essentially a bathtub in the ground, but that the world is running out of room for these and they have the potential to leak as well.

4. Go Green: a movement to create a "culture of conservation" within a community, it aims to conserve and protect natural resources for future generations.

Activity: "Just Decorate It!"
Last week we asked individuals students if he/she would prefer to decorate a reusable tote bag, recycling bin, or water bottle.  The majority of the girls chose the tote bag (one chose a water bottle), and the remaining boys were excited about their water bottles and bins.
We provided the students with fabric markers and paint pens, and the children had a field day decorating!

When asked where they could carry their newly-decorated bags, bins, or bottles, the students were ready to bring them everywhere!

Recap:
Although the activity was a little messy, the students really enjoyed putting their own personal touch on objects that can be used in a sustainable way.  Making sure that in their enthusiasm the students didn't paint the walls and themselves was quite hectic,  but it was great to see such passion for objects that they can use in the future!
The seeds from the first workshop are growing..and next week we focus on the rainforest!

Hasta luego,
Chiara, Caryn, and Katelyn