Mini-Series 3: Introducing Sustainability in the Classroom

Tuesday, September 16th 2008

A great way to introduce sustainability is to start by thinking about waste, and the natural resources that are used to make a product, or “object.”

In a speech I gave at the Bikes Not Bombs Green Festival in June 2008, I defined sustainability as “a human system that runs for a long time on practice and behavior that has minimal impact on the natural environment.”

Below, we provide a great exercise to do with your class to help introduce the concept of sustainability to your students, and to find individual ways that your own classroom can become a green space.

1. Start by writing down the four following categories on the board:

Plastic, Wood, Metal, Food

with the header “How do we create waste at our school?”

2. Ask your students to brainstorm all the objects they can think of for each category by looking around the classroom from their seat. Compile their answers on the board. Then, open up a discussion. Some talking points are:

-where have these objects come from?
-what natural resource may have been used to make this object?
-where will it end up, and how soon?
-can this object be re-used or recycled instead of thrown away?

Explain that some objects may have a shorter “lifespan” than others, but that eventually all objects end up as garbage unless they are recycled or re-used.

*For example, a banana or a sheet of paper is often used just once, but a table can be used for years. However, a table and paper often derive from the same natural resource: trees.

Another way to imagine the path an object in the classroom has traveled is to create a visual flowchart, with the name of the object in the center of the board, and lines before and after the word, connecting it to other words.

*For example, if the word is “table” the flowchart might connect to words such as “tree” “gas needed to transport wood” “factory” “people turning wood into paper” “gas from factory” “lights to power factory” “gas needed to transport paper to office supply store” “classroom” “incinerator” and “recycling center.”

3. After a class discussion, have your students think critically about ways they can minimize their own individual impact on natural resources by recycling objects in some of the categories, through composting, or other means of re-using or saving materials.

*For example, students might suggest composting their food waste every day to make less garbage, to use the backs of used paper as scrap paper, to start using a fabric lunch-bag instead of a paper one, and others. You may very well find your students coming up with highly original, creative ideas!

In general, this exercise allows both the teacher and students who examine their surroundings, to understand the concept of sustainability vs. waste, and to implement positive changes to create a green classroom. The exercise is rooted in the idea of a heightened sense of awareness that allows students and teachers to better understand themselves, and the world around them, and so to make informed decisions.

Example of Objects in the Classroom for Each Category

1. General: Plastic
Specific:
*sandwich wrappers/baggies
*spray/cleaning bottles and containers
*lunch bags
*plastic wrap
*utensils/plates/cups
*chips bags
*water/drink bottles
*yogurt containers
*binders/folders
*disposable coffee lids
*trash bags
*trash containers
*lunch boxes (re-usable)
*lunch Tupperware containers (re-usable)
*bookmarks
*pencil boxes
*homework/file trays
*laminator plastic
*lesson/math materials (k’nex, legos, cubes)
*water dispensers (re-usable)
*computers/keyboards/mice/printer/hard drives
*phones
*radios
*clock
*tape
*clips, paperclips
*pens
*markers
*chair feet
*whiteboard
*light switches
*fire alarm
*dvd cases, book covers
*recorders, seed bins

2. General: Wood
Specific:
*furniture
*tables
*shelves
*chairs
*desks
*doors
*lockers/cabinets
*pizza boxes
*corkboard/bulletin board
*pencil shavings
*pencils
*cardboard packaging
*paper plates
*drink cartons
*scrap paper
*lined paper
*computer paper
*lesson materials: wooden math cubes
*envelopes/mailing materials
*paper lanterns/lights
*newspaper
*magazines
*paper bags
*books
*rulers
*cardboard recycling bins
*journals
*folders
*files
*textbooks
*folder-holders
*pads, post-its
*posters
*maps
*woven baskets
*paper towels
*toilet paper
*tissues
*napkins
*clothespins
*art paper/watercolor/colored
*handles of paint brushes
*coffee cups
*color cards
*playing cards
*egg cartons
*stickers
*photographs
*frames
*popsicle sticks
*string

3. Metal
*table legs
*frames around dry-erase board
*fans
*screws, small parts
*tables
*paper-holders

4. Food
*lunch waste
*snack waste

-Kristen von Hoffmann