Links to the Foundation for the Atlantic Canada Science Curriculum:
- Attitudes:
Students will be encouraged to develop attitudes that support the responsible acquisition and application of scientific and technological knowledge to the
mutual benefit of self, society and the environment.
Brief Overview of the Lesson:
The students will discuss groups which they know work to protect the environment. Following this activity they will explore actions which they and their families can take to help protect the environment and save money in the process. They will come to see how reducing, reusing and recycling reduces the impact of human activities on the environment while also saving them money. Each student will create a poster to be displayed in the school to show others how to save money and help the environment.
Estimated Time Required for Implementation:
One class period
Materials Needed:
Copies of the handout “Reducing, Reusing, and Recycling,” poster paper, markers, coloured pencils, etc.
Suggested Implementation Strategy:
- Start the period by having the students list organizations that work to protect the environment.
- Have them explain what these organizations do to protect the environment.
- Once this has been done ask them if they (the students) should be actively trying to protect the environment.
- Get them to offer suggestions as to some of the ways they could help to protect the environment.
- Compile a list of their suggestions and then indicate to them that the focus of the lesson will be on reducing, reusing and recycling as methods of not only helping the environment but also saving money.
- As a motivator for their coming activity share with them the following information:
- Americans throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour.
- Every glass bottle recycled saves enough energy for a 100 watt light bulb to be lit for 4 hours.
- 5896700810 kg. of paper towels are used each year in the U.S. It takes more than 17 trees and 78000 litres of water to make one metric ton of paper towels.
- Hand out copies of “Reducing, Reusing, and Recycling” and ask for volunteers to read it aloud. Tell them they are to design a poster which will be displayed showing how reducing, reusing and recycling not only saves money, but also helps the environment.
- Allow them the remainder of class time to work on their poster. (Additional class time or homework time may be needed to finish the poster.)
Options for Consideration:
- Let the students take home the handout and share these ideas with their family.
- Students could use the “What? So What? Now What?” format to create a journal entry that reflects what they intend to do to reuse and recycle.
Extended Learning Opportunities:
Evaluation:
- Tell the students that everyone is to make an extra effort in the next month to use their ideas about how to reduce, reuse and recycle. Together they will set a goal and keep a chart in the classroom where they can record their efforts. (For example, a student records that they reduced by using both sides of a piece of paper, or recycles by using a tin can to make a pencil holder).
Articles:
REDUCING, REUSING AND RECYCLING
In order to reduce, remember to buy only what you need. Just how many pairs of jeans does one person need? Be a friend to the environment by avoiding products with excessive packaging.
Next time you buy fast food, take a look at how much waste there is. Remember that styrofoam takes hundreds of years to break down in the environment.
Just about anything in your home that cannot be reused can be recycled into something else. You would be amazed at all the items that can be recycled. Used plastic soda pop bottles can be made into hundreds of plastic goods, such as combs, and T-shirts. Did you know that some computer cases are made from ordinary recycled plastics? Also, paper products can take on different forms as well; an old phone book or coloring book might become one of your school books or notebooks.
Look at what you are tossing in the trash. Lots of things (cans, bottles, paper, and cardboard) can be remade into either similar or new products Making new items from recycled ones uses less energy and fewer resources than making products from brand new materials. Did you know that plastic milk bags can be made into quick dry bed mats or emergency operation tables?
Helping the environment is really simple. Don’t throw away anything that can be recycled! Plastic containers and reusable lunch bags are great ways to pack your lunch without creating waste. Coffee cans, shoe boxes, margarine tubs and many others types of containers can be reused. Just use your imagination and see what you can make with aluminum cans, cardboard, glass, magazines, plastic bottles and bags, yard waste, electronic equipment, etc. You can make a difference by reducing, reusing, and recycling.