Happy Green Tanzania Activity Guide
Educational program on waste
Text copyright: © 2024 Happy Green World Foundation/ Marlou Bessem
Illustrations copyright: © 2024 Happy Green World/ Petra Houweling
Editor: © 2024 Happy Green World
The Happy Green Tanzania program on waste consists of:
1. Activity Guide
2. Student book
3. Game
This program is developed by the Happy Green World Foundation for the use of our partners Greenmanjaro, Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots and FT Kilimanjaro.
Together towards a Happy Green World!
Happy Green World Foundation Greenmanjaro Foundation www.happygreenworld.org www.greenmanjaro.com info@happygreenworld.org team@greenmanjaro.com
Jane Goodall’s Roots and Shoots FT Kilimanjaro www.janegoodall.or.tz www.ftkilimanjaro.org info@janegoodall.or.tz
ISBN 9789083456027
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be produced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recorded or otherwise, without the written permission of the copyright owners.
Happy Green World
“We are not isolated islands, but connected like links of the same chain. We are part of the chain of life. Our every action, whether deliberate or not, affects everyone else. Without waiting for others to change, if we change ourselves first, that in itself will make a difference” - Amma
Acknowledgements
The main focus of the Happy Green Word educational programme on waste is to raise awareness about the amount of waste we produce and encourage sustainable behaviour by teaching how to reduce, reuse and recycle waste. We want to give everybody a chance to live in a healthy and clean world and are convinced that changing society starts with educating the new generation!
We would like to thank all the volunteers worldwide who helped making the Happy Green World programme a success and support the Happy Green World Foundation.
Meet the author - Marlou Jongejan-Bessem
In 2006 Marlou moved to Cairo where she started several environmental projects, which led to the start of the Happy Green World Foundation in 2013. The Happy Green World Foundation aims to raise awareness on environmental topics by developing educational programs on waste, water and energy for primary and secondary schools around the world. Our website is: www.happygreenworld.org
Meet the illustrator - Petra Houweling
Petra Houweling is the illustrator for the Happy Green World programmes. She studied graphic design in the Netherlands and has worked on a range of programmes for Happy Green World. Petra primarily illustrates for educational purposes, and her style is characterised by bright, warm colours.
Introduction
Countries all over the world are involved in a process of figuring out how to live in harmony with nature by adopting sustainable ways of dealing with energy, water and waste. Governments have plans and projects, but individuals and communities must also take responsibility in caring for the environment. Today we need to join hands and eagerly create a clean and Happy Green World, for ourselves today but especially for the next generations. We should take care of the environment as we do for our families. After all, in order to be happy and healthy we need a clean and healthy world. To learn to do that, we first need to become aware of how we relate to waste, why we produce these vast amounts of waste, and how we can relate differently to waste by reducing, reusing and recycling.
We discard litter such as plastics, paper, glass, cans, aluminium and green waste because we think we cannot use it any more and that it will disappear by itself. However, the earth is a closed system, which means that waste will not disappear from our planet. We need to reuse or recycle used items and materials. Improved technology has made it possible to make new products out of waste. Some examples are: recycled paper products, recycled glass, recycled plastic products and compost.
This book aims to support teachers and other educators to help students learn about the problems that emerge from the fact that more and more waste is being produced globally by the growing world population. We will discuss the importance of living sustainably by teaching reducing, reusing and recycling in order to discourage pollution and the depletion of the natural resources of the earth.
Background information about Reducing, Reusing, Recycling
Together we can create a healthy environment and care for the future of this world. We can act! Each person can do his or her part! To prevent the depletion of our natural resources and the creation of mountains of waste, each and every one of us needs to change our behaviour regarding waste. We can learn to diminish our waste more easily by reducing, reusing and recycling it. For instance, we can reduce the amount of packaging and the use of cleaning detergents, and reuse plastic bags and clothes. We can recycle paper, plastic and glass and recycle green waste into compost. We can start building awareness by changing our own habits and, through our example, influence the habits of future generations. We should make sure that every child starts to develop the habit of properly disposing of waste and, most importantly, learns to reduce their waste. This will lead to healthy and clean surroundings at school, but also in the street and at home. It will have a positive effect on the students’ tidiness, health and energy. Because these habits will be transferred to the home, the students will continuously apply the new behaviour learned through the practical activities. Over a period of 10 years we will surely see a huge difference in our societies, together building a Happy Green World!
Reducing waste means that we produce less waste. It sounds simple and it is! By producing less waste we will have less to dispose of. In order to reduce waste we need to critically assess our garbage. For instance, we can choose to use refillable printer cartridges and rechargeable batteries. Instead of using supermarket plastic bags, we can take reusable bags with us to carry our groceries home.
Reusing means that we use something more than once. In thinking twice before we throw something in the bin, we can give many objects a second life. For instance, an outgrown school uniform can be reused by a smaller child. A reusable drink bottle can be used many times, while a disposable one will be only used once. A plastic bag can be reused when buying groceries or as bin liner. Many products can be reused during art classes. Students can be creative while using a variety of reusable materials.
Recycling doesn’t only mean ‘reusing’ the product but also improving or changing it into a new product. When we recycle, our ‘old’ glass can be made into new glass, and used plastics can be made into new plastic products such as fleece blankets, toys, hospital utilities and many other useful products.
Green waste can be recycled into compost through a process that we call ‘decomposition’. Small organisms eat green waste like kitchen scraps, leaves and grass, and fertile soil is the result.
Recycling green waste – making compost – can be done by the students themselves at school or at home. During other activities students learn how to recycle paper and how to make compost. A recycling company can collect the different sorts of waste that can be recycled. If such a company does not exist in your area, it might be interesting to start talking with the responsible people in your community or area to set up a recycling centre.
Advantages of reducing, reusing and recycling waste are less waste, decreased pollution, the improvement of human and animal health, increased care for our environment … and money savings!
Goals
The goals of this programme are:
1. Building awareness and knowledge about waste through practical exercises.
2. Encouraging students to change their behaviour regarding waste through reducing, reusing and recycling products and materials.
3. Teaching students to take responsibility for their waste in order to ensure a clean, healthy and more liveable environment for today and in the future.
4. Adopting a sustainable approach to waste disposal. We are convinced that:
5. Students learn best through active ‘hands-on’ experiences.
6. The provided materials will help the students to build their self-esteem.
7. The materials provided encourage social interactions and academic excellence.
8. The activities build awareness about waste issues.
9. Creative play and art are essential ways to teach students to communicate, to think, to feel and to express themselves.
10. Students love to explore and make things out of recyclable waste.
11. Students enjoy questioning and making mind maps.
12. Students relish tasks with which they can relate to.
Content of the Happy Green Tanzania programme
1. An activity guide, which contains a number of practical activities to help students adopt sustainable behaviour and encourage them to reduce, reuse and recycle their waste.
2. An interactive student book in which students learn about waste materials like plastic, paper, green waste and glass. The origins and decomposition times of the materials are discussed, as well as ways to reduce, reuse and recycle. With every page the city in the book is transformed step by step from dirty to clean.
3. A game in which the players are rewarded (a few steps forward on the board) or punished (a few steps backward on the board) when showing the appropriate behaviour towards waste.
4. Our website www.happygreenworld.org and our Facebook page: Happy Green World
The Activity Guide
The activity guide offers background information on waste and recycling and presents practical activities which can be done in schools or at home. The students are stimulated to think critically about their own behaviour towards ‘waste and their environment’.
Through some activities the students learn to recognise ‘waste materials’ in their environment. They learn how to reduce, reuse and recycle the waste they produce and that disposing garbage in the right bin leads to a clean and tidy environment while being able to reuse or recycle the materials.
List of Activities
The list activities are divided into 3 groups: A, T and D.
1. Awareness (A) of the waste issues;
2. Thinking (T), which leads to a more profound understanding of the problems and solutions of waste disposal; and
3. Doing (D), where students themselves act and recycle, adopting sustainable behaviour.
General comments on the activities
Each activity is written for the recommended age group but can be taught to other age groups as well. The activities can be taught at primary schools, secondary schools, day cares or at home. The teacher can choose which activities are suitable for his or her group of students. Most activities can be completed in an hour or less.
Make sure to allow time for follow-up discussions on every activity. Topics to discuss are:
1. Did you act on your new knowledge? How did it change your behaviour?
2. Was it difficult to change?
3. How did your parents and friends react?
4. What can be done to keep up enthusiasm and improve success rates?
It is important to talk to the students and explain that new ideas and new habits take time to root. Make sure the students are not disappointed if they are not supported by their surroundings right away. Students do make a difference, and every small success is worth it! All the many small successes add up to big ones, and in time they will change the world.
When teaching young students, start right away with the action rather than explaining the theory. They will enjoy learning by doing.
Mind map
In the activity guide, we make use of mind maps. A mind map is a tool that enhances organisational thinking. It is a creative and effective way of brainstorming and structuring your thoughts on a subject.
A mind map can be compared to a map of a city. The centre of your mind map represents the most important idea you want to include. The main roads leading from the centre represent the main thoughts in your thinking process. The minor roads represent your secondary thoughts. A mind map will give you a colourful overview that will help you to better memorise and structure the information.
You always start in the middle of the page or school board and put down the central idea in words or images. Connect the centre with branches and write down other thoughts and associations. Use colours when making a mind map. Use curved lines like the branches of trees. Use one key word per line and use images, because images are worth a thousand words and are easy to remember.
Example of a mind map:
Student book
The student book contains two tracks that show the child how to achieve a cleaner and greener world. A very polluted city is changing gradually into a clean city where bins are placed, the air, soil and water are clean, and the people are healthy and happy.
Furthermore, the origins of plastic, paper, green waste and glass, their applications and decomposition times are discussed, as well as ways to reduce, reuse and recycle these materials.
Game
The game is an application of the information the students learned during the lessons. Play the game in small groups in the classroom as described on the back side of the game. Make sure that every child knows how to play the game before taking it home.
Programme Duration
The Happy Green World programme can be taught over several months during the academic year. It is up to the school or community centre to teach the programme either as a monthly project (one activity a day for a month) or to spread it over consecutive months teaching one activity a week. The programme also lends itself to after school clubs and holiday programmes and further provides many ideas for assemblies or other school meetings.
Activities
(A) Activity 1: Story of Cellio the Compost Caterpillar
Ages: 4-7, 20 min
Aim
After reading the story, the students will understand what compost is and how to make compost.
Description of the activity
Teacher reads the story of “Cellio the Compost Caterpillar” to the students:
Cellio the Compost Caterpillar
Once upon time there was a caterpillar living in the forest. The small caterpillar wanted to grow and grow so one day he could transform into a beautiful butterfly. Therefore he had to eat and eat and eat to grow big and healthy. But this particular caterpillar only liked certain foods. Do you know what kinds of foods those were?
One day Cellio was searching for food when wandering beneath the tall trees in the forest with the sun shining through the leaves. He tried to eat everything he saw, since he wanted to grow big. He ate the leaves of the trees, which were really good. He took a bite from a plastic cup, but that was disgusting! He loved the fruits and grasses around, and he grew and grew. He ate a little insect, but that wasn’t very tasty, either. His favourite food was a tomato: a vegetable growing from a plant. So Cellio loved leaves, grasses, fruits and vegetables but did not like meat, bread and plastics. Cellio and other worms and bacteria love to break down organic matter into fertile soil. This is called compost, and the trees and plants around him love the nutrients from this fertile soil. So the trees and plants help Cellio to grow and Cellio helps the trees and plants to grow.
Cellio the compost caterpillar helps turn organic waste, meaning leaves, grasses and fruits, into compost. He is doing a great job at recycling green waste into compost! And when Cellio had enough to eat he transformed into a beautiful butterfly.
Younger students can start to make a drawing of Cellio the Compost Caterpillar and the foods he likes. Older students can open the student book and read about ‘green waste’ and discuss. What Cellio did was in fact ‘recycling’. Cellio transformed ‘green waste’ into ‘compost’. We can all benefit from our green kitchen waste when transforming it into compost. When recycling green waste we receive fertile soil and do not need to buy fertilisers. We can grow our own vegetables and herbs with the use of compost.
Conclusion
When we start to recycle green waste, we produce less waste, make fertile soil (compost) and can grow our own vegetables and herbs.
(A) Activity 2: Recognising Waste
Ages: 4-11, time: 30 min
Aim
Recognising and understanding waste.
Preparation
The teacher brings a bag filled with rubbish to school on the day that the lesson is planned. It is important that the rubbish bag holds all sorts of waste, but make sure it is safe for the students to interact with. Make sure that you have plastic, glass (not broken), paper, green waste like vegetable or fruit peelings, cans and clothes. Bring a piece of plastic or a tray to display the waste on.
This activity builds awareness through experience, therefore the students should see and interact with all the materials we call waste. Be careful the students do not touch the waste or wear gloves and wash their hands after wards.
Materials
Piece of plastic, a tray, a disposal bag filled with waste such as breakfast products, cans, glass, paper, peelings, tea bags etc.
Description of the activity
The teacher and the students sit in a circle. Put down a piece of plastic in the middle of the circle, where the waste can be displayed. The teacher shows the plastic bag filled with waste and asks the students the following questions:
- Do you know what I have got here?
- What sorts of waste do you think are in the disposal bag?
After ideas and discussions, turn the content of the waste bag out onto the piece of plastic. All was disposed of as ‘waste’.
1. What kind of materials do you see in the middle of the circle? Plastic, paper, remains of food, juice carton, others sorts of packaging etc.
2. Is this all waste or could we use it again?
3. Have the students think of other ‘waste’ products.
The teacher starts drawing a mind map on the board by writing the word ‘waste’ in the middle. Students add to the mind map as shown below.
Conclusion
The students become aware of the products we throw as waste. With the help of a mind map the students brainstorm on the subject of waste and understand that some items can be used again.
(D) Activity 3: Making art and other useful objects with waste Ages: 7-16, 60+ min
Aim
To make something decorative or useful out of ‘waste, used and discarded items. Students are encouraged to see waste as a resource for creativity.
Description of the activity
This activity is meant to serve as an inspiration and encourage the children to use discarded items in their art lessons. These items would have otherwise gone to landfill or added to the pollution of the environment.
Choose one of the items below and make art and craft out of these used items.
Plastic bottles
• Make dolls from used fabric scraps, paper, markers and use them as puppets for creative play. You find the instructions here: https://simplecraftidea.com/ make-doll-plastic-bottle/
• Make a fish for a colourful ‘under the sea’ display by following the steps pic tured below.
• Make a no-sew shopping bag by following the instructions in this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNdW9MojrXM
• Make T-shirt yarn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2hdZ4luc34
• Use the T-shirt yarn to crochet or make new items: https://sustainmy crafthabit.com/top-20-tshirt-yarn-projects/
Old T-shirts
Old Jeans
• Make a fashion bag from old jeans: https://betweennapsontheporch.net/25denim-bags-purses-made-from-recycled-jeans/ and https://sewguide.com/ diy-denim-jeans-bag/
Newspaper/magazines
• Use old newspaper and glue to make paper maché items, like bowls, picture frames, animals etc. https://www.diys.com/papier-mache-crafts/
• Use rolled-up magazine paper to decorate a picture frame and make art:https://diyprojects.com/rolled-paper-crafts/
Any items of fabric/waste
• Encourage students to make items of clothing for a fashion parade from dis carded materials.
Conclusion
Students learn to look at waste differently and understand its valuable potential when waste is seen as a resource for creativity and artworks.
(D) Activity 4: Making Beeswax wraps
Ages: 7-16, 45 min
Aim
To make an alternative for storing food, reducing the need for plastic cling film and reducing food waste. Giving new life to discarded cotton items.
Preparation
Ask the children to bring in old or unused fabrics (linen or cotton) such as bedding/pillowcase/ blouse/shirt that will be cut up in circles, squares and rectangles. Be sure to wash, dry and iron the material first.
Source beeswax and possibly some resin (optional).
Watch a few tutorials on YouTube on how to make beeswax wraps, and choose the safest and most appropriate method for your situation (i.e. using an iron or an oven). Also read this step-by-step action plan for making beeswax wraps: https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/craft-ideas/ g25642328/diy-beeswax-reusuable-wraps/
Materials
• Cotton fabric (pre-loved if possible)
• Zig-zag scissors
• Beeswax
• Resin (optional)
• Grater
• Baking paper
• Iron
• Ironing board (optional)
• Oven
• Brush or spreader
Description of the activity
Discuss the uses for beeswax wraps. To cover food like a piece of cheese, half an avocado, bread, a bowl with leftovers… anything you would normally use plastic for. Highlight that we will be using pre-used cotton material for this activity and explain that beeswax is the wax secreted by honeybees to make honeycombs. Beeswax is also used to make wood polishes and candles.
In a small group, cut out different sizes from the fabrics using zig-zag scissors to avoid fraying. Follow the steps of making the wraps, keeping in mind that you are working with very hot wax and a hot iron. Be sure to warn the students about the dangers of burning their fingers! Do NOT let students do this activity unsupervised.
Iron-on method:
1. Grate the wax onto a piece of linen or cotton, spreading it evenly.
2. Sandwich the waxed piece of fabric between two sheets of baking paper.
3. Iron the fabric to melt the wax into the cloth.
4. Take care when you take out the piece of fabric, and hang to cool.
Oven method:
1. Place the piece of fabric on an old baking sheet.
2. Grate the wax onto the fabric, spreading it evenly.
3. Place the baking sheet in an oven and set the oven to 150 °C.
4. Keep checking and after a few minutes, the wax will melt into the fabric.
5. Use an old brush or spreader to coat the fabric evenly and to cover patches.
6. Let it cool.
Have children design a care instruction card with useful information. Be sure to include:
• Wipe with a damp cloth after each use or wash the wrap with COLD water and a little soap.
• To remove dried-on food, don’t pick it off, but leave the wrap to soak in cold water for a few minutes.
• Not recommended for raw meats, liquids, or foods that are still hot.
• If you take good care, the wrap should last for about a year. It can be composted after use, or re-waxed and used again.
These wraps make great gifts and also make a good fundraiser by selling them.
Conclusion
Children have been shown a good alternative for plastic wraps, and are aware that you can repurpose cotton and linen materials to make something new and useful. Using beeswax wraps will also cut out the need for single-use plastic.
(A) Activity 5: Reusable lunch boxes and drink bottles
Ages: 7-16, 45 min
Aim
To encourage students and parents to reduce their waste by using reusable materials.
Preparation
Teachers can read about the subject of reducing, reusing and recycling by checking the websites mentioned at the back of this activity guide. Show the students examples of reusable materials that students can use like lunch boxes and a reusable bottle.
Materials
Paper and pen.
Description of the activity
The teacher explains reusable packaging and gives examples. The activity entails that over the next weeks each child should bring food and drinks in sustainable materials. This means that the food is brought in a reusable container and the drinks in a reusable bottle, thereby avoiding one-time usages of plastic, paper or aluminium.
The students write letters to their parents about their experiment to reduce waste at school. The students read their letters to the class and can discuss reusable or recycled materials that are used at home and in the classroom.
The students vote on the best letter, which will then be sent home to the parents. Make sure only one letter per family is taken home.
Sending an email and thus reducing paper is even better.
A classroom chart can be created to record individual successes.
The teacher makes a chart on a piece of paper listing the names of the students at the right side and the dates at the top. The teacher keeps a record of the waste on a daily basis by noting ++ for no waste / + less waste / - for more than necessary waste. After a week give a reward to the child with the ‘best’ success of that week or to the whole class in trying their best to reduce waste. Continue the same procedure over the following weeks in order to encourage this behaviour!
Conclusion
The students get a chance to share their knowledge on how to reduce waste with their parents. By trying their best they reduce waste together and get rewarded for it. Their behaviour is becoming more sustainable.
Tip: Encourage using email only instead of paper letters for the communication from school to parents.
(T) Activity 6: Story: ‘The Life of …’
Ages: 7-16, 60 min
Aim
Write a story about a piece of waste. An example is this recycled waste bin made of old tires.
Preparation
The teacher chooses a street or playground where the students are asked to look at objects of waste that have been thrown there. If this is not possible, the students can choose an object from the student book.
Materials
Paper and pen.
Description of the activity
The students write a story about a piece of waste found in the street or depicted in the student book.
The goal of the story is to talk about an object’s life and how its life can be extended by reducing, reusing or recycling it. The students can write about the negative effects waste has on nature and people and the 3 Rs: reduce, reuse and recycle.
Possible points to include in the story:
1. Think about a name for the product and describe it.
2. Choose to either let the product tell its own story or write about the object yourself.
3. Where was it made?
4. Where was it sold? Who bought it?
5. How was it used?
6. What happened afterwards?
7. Where was it thrown away?
8. Who threw it away?
9. What are the effects of waste where you found it?
10. What could be done to reduce the negative effects of waste?
11. What can you do to lessen the impact on the environment?
12. How could this object be reused or recycled?
13. What could this material’s ‘next life’ be?
The stories can be attached to the school board and in the halls so other students can read them as well. Alternatively, let the students share their stories during an assembly. Students can even make an animated movie.
Conclusion
The students write a story about the (extended) life of an object of waste and share it with other students.
(T) Activity 7: The Effects of Waste
Ages: 7-16, 60 min
Aim
Students become aware that waste has an impact on air, soil, water and our health.
Preparation
The teacher watches two short movies on www.youtube.com to show the child during this activity. First show “A day in the life of your garbage and recyclables” and then “How does a modern landfill work?”
Materials
Whiteboard, computer with access to internet.
Description of the activity
The teacher shows the YouTube movies and asks the students to share their reactions.
The teacher discusses the course of waste from shop to landfill. What happens to waste after it has been disposed of? (For example, you buy yoghurt in a shop, eat it for breakfast, put the yoghurt cup in the bin and put the waste bin in front of the door, rubbish collectors take it to a landfill, the yoghurt cup sits there for many years, polluting the soil and groundwater, or gets burned, polluting the air). What are the effects of dumping waste in nature? Which items should you not throw in the bin? (batteries, household appliances and electronics)
The teacher discusses the central theme, ‘What are the effects of waste?’ The students call out the effects of waste while the teacher draws the following mind map on the board.
Waste has an effect on:
1. Air – The burning of waste in the landfills will lead to air pollution. Air pollution can affect humans and animals directly, through breathing the contaminated air, which can cause respiratory health hazards and allergies.
2. Soil – Pollution in the soil affects all vegetables and agricultural products, so our food will be of poor quality and humans and animals might consume contaminated food.
3. Water – Water pollution harms fish and aquatic plants, but also the soil. Because soil is watered with this water, the soil and the crops become contaminated; if contaminat ed water is used as drinking water, it can directly affect people’s health.
4. Animals – Animals could choke in waste, can be caught up in waste and can breath polluted air.
5. People – People could suffer from hygienic problems, physical problems like breathing trouble or headaches, or they may consume contaminated food or water.
Conclusion
It is very important to reduce, reuse and recycle waste because this decreases the bad effects of pollution on air, soil, water and our health
(T) Activity 8: Ways to Reduce Waste
Ages: 7-16, 30 min
Aim
Using a mind map to brainstorm ways to reduce waste.
Preparation
Use internet to play the inspiring YouTube movie: “Landfill Harmonic The world sends us garbage, we send back music”.
Materials
Students’book, whiteboard or big paper and coloured pencils.
Description of the activity
The teacher shows the YouTube movie “Landfill Harmonic” to the students and discusses it with the class. Please explain that a solution to the waste problem is to reduce, reuse and recycle waste. By reducing the waste we produce and not throwing so much away, we will have less waste and pollution in the future. It is up to us, human beings of all ages, to change our habits and clean and green our planet for now and the next generations.
The students are asked to make a mind map on how to reduce waste. They can make use of the information written in the student book. Can they think of any other ways to reduce waste than mentioned in the student book? What specific waste issues are related to their city, and what solution can they think of?
Create another class mind map on the subject ‘reducing waste’ by sharing everyone’s ideas.
(T) Activity 9: Ways to Reuse Waste
Ages: 7-16, 30 min
Aim
The students think of ways to reuse waste.
Preparation
The teacher and students bring a ‘waste product’ from home. The teacher knows how to explain the making of a mind map and what the purpose is.
Materials
Boxes, glass bottle, matchboxes, plastic bags, paper and green waste.
Description of the activity
The students share their ‘waste product’ and discuss ideas about how they can reuse their waste.
The students are encouraged to give examples of reusing waste. Then show the YouTube video: “Green Kids Take Charge: part 2 of 3”.
After the video the students make their own mind maps on ways to reuse waste. When finished the teacher draws a class mind map on the board with the input of the students. The mind map could look like this:
Conclusion
The students have learned to brainstorm on ways to reuse waste with the use of a mind map.
Mindmap 5
(T) Activity 10 - Ways to Recycle Waste
Ages: 7-16, 45 min
Aim
The students become aware of what products are made from and which materials can be recycled.
Preparation
The teacher brings products to school and displays them on a table.
Materials
Fleece vest, tyre, electrical appliance, paper, glass, compost, cans, internet.
Description of the activity
First show the YouTube video: “Sesame Street, Recycling Blues”.
The teacher points out a product and asks the students what material it is made of. Can they think of what material other products are made from?
Glass is made from sand.
Plastic is made from oil or corn.
Paper is made from trees. Cans are made from aluminium. Tires are made from rubber. Compost is made from green waste.
The teacher explains that some materials and products can be recycled into new products. Most products are recycled in factories. However recycling paper or making compost can be done at home or at school (see Activities 26 and 29).
The students pair up and make mind maps on ways to recycle waste. They can make use of the student book or internet to research the options.
When finished, each group reports their mind maps to their peers. Next, the teacher draws a class mind map on the whiteboard. The mind map might look like this:
Conclusion
Most products can be recycled into new products. Recycling saves natural resources, energy, water and money for fabrication, and less waste is transported to landfills. Did you know? Up to 60% of the rubbish that ends up in the dustbin could be recycled.
(D) Activity 11: Separating Waste is Useful!
Ages 7-16, 60 min
Aim
To make a plan for sorting and recycling waste within the school, and to have it collected or brought to the nearest waste bank.
Preparation
The teacher makes sure that at least 6 bins for waste and recyclable materials are available in the classroom. Inform the concierge about this activity.
Materials
Six bins or as many as necessary, paper, coloured pencils, magazines and scissors.
Description of the activity
Show the students one of the following YouTube videos: “Green Kids Take Charge: Part 3 of 3”. Divide the students into six groups. Each group is responsible for one type of material or waste: plastic, paper, glass, metal, green waste or miscellaneous. The students come up with a plan to teach people how to sort the waste in the school and how to have it collected or brought to a recycle company or waste bank. Each group makes a waste management plan for their type of material, including but not limited to the following activities:
1. Investigate the number of existing bins at school and divide them into 6 groups (plastic, green waste, paper, glass, metal and miscellaneous).
2. Make posters that clearly show which material has to go in each bin, and how you can reuse or recycle that material. You can also use colourful stickers to label the bins.
3. Find strategic locations around the school to place the bins.
4. Decide who is going to collect the materials from the bins around the school and bring it to the collection site.
5. Find out which company is able to collect the waste from school and ask if they are able to collect the sorted materials from school every 2 weeks.
6. Think of a plan together for what you can do if the waste is not sorted correctly.
7. Make a presentation of your group’s waste management plan for the other students and teachers. Be sure they know what the plan is and how to recycle the different materials. Tell them you (the teacher) will be placing different bins around the school and that you are going to start recycling. Let them know why recycling is important. Ask a small group of students from each class to be in charge of keeping in contact with you (for example, once a month) to let you know how their class is doing with the recycling project. Let them know that you are available to answer questions and to help everyone be successful.
The teacher discusses the plans for the six different materials and summarises them in one general waste plan that mentions the actions and names of the responsible students and teacher.
In the following weeks the students make sure that the different types of waste at school are sorted and are placed in the correct bins.
Bin 1 – red – plastic
Bin 2 – green bin – green waste (fruits, vegetables, leaves, grass)
Bin 3 – blue – glass
Bin 4 – yellow – paper
Bin 5 – grey – miscellaneous
Bin 6 – brown bin – cans and metal
CANS & METAL MISCELLANEOUS
Allow the students to bring waste from home if desired.
Make sure the recyclable materials are collected by a recycle company.
Conclusion
The students have implemented a plan to separate and collect plastic, paper, glass, metal and miscellaneous in the school and make sure the company that collects the recyclables will reuse or recycle these materials.
(T) Activity 12: Encouraging Sustainable Behaviour Towards Waste
Ages 7-16, 45 min
Aim
To allow the students to become aware of their own ‘sustainable’ behaviour towards waste.
Preparation
Divide the class into pairs. The teacher reads about the cradle to cradle and sustainability concept and explains this to the students during the lesson. Google cradle to cradle for more information on that subject.
Materials
Pen and paper.
Description of the activity
The teacher explains that sustainable behaviour is a behaviour that conserves an ecological balance both for now and in the future by avoiding the depletion of natural resources and the pollution of nature.
The students are grouped into pairs and interview each other on their behaviour. They write down the answers and count the yeses and no’s. The higher the number of yeses, the more sustainable their behaviour is.
Look at the class statistics and find out if there is a specific area of negative responses and why that might be. The teacher discusses the answers with the students and writes the most important answers on the whiteboard.
Interview 1:
1. Do you love nature? What is so special about it?
2. Are you dismayed when finding waste on the streets, in the sea or in nature?
3. Do you always throw waste in the bin?
4. Do you bring a reusable lunchbox and drink bottle to school?
5. Do you reuse your waste at home? If yes, how?
6. Do you think reducing, reusing and recycling waste is useful?
7. Do you recycle waste at home? For instance make new paper from old or make compost?
8. Do you pick up waste from the street or when walking in nature?
9. Do you take your own bag to the shops?
The second group of questions could be answered in pairs or as a whole class.
Interview 2:
1. How would you like to see the waste problem solved?
2. How could your class start with reducing, reusing and recycling waste?
3. Would you like to learn how to make paper and compost?
4. How could you help clean and green your surroundings?
The teacher discusses the answers with the students and formulates the conclusions on the board. When we reduce, reuse and recycle materials, we do not have to discard them and we can use natural resources over and over again. Sustainable behaviour has less impact on the environment and it saves money.
Please discuss the ‘cradle to cradle’ way of thinking with the students. The cradle to cradle idea encourages a holistic economy where there is no waste at all. The philosophy aims to use the materials of used products over and over again. This way natural resources are not wasted but reused indefinitely, minimising the negative environmental impacts on the environment.
Conclusion
Students become aware of their ‘sustainable’ behaviour towards waste and know the meaning of the cradle to cradle concept.
(D) Activity 13: Making a song
Ages 7-16, 45 min
Aim
The students make a song.
Preparation
Teacher watches the song “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle” by mrdugger25 from www.youtube.com.
Materials
Large papers, colouring pencils, computer with internet access.
Description of the activity
Show the song Reduce, reuse and recycle from Youtube. Divide the students into groups and let them compose a song about waste, its effect on the environment and how to reduce, reuse and recycle. Let the students think about a way to present the song, using the movements and making a poster to be able to sing along.
Each group can present their song to their peers. The teacher can make a video, which can be viewed during a parent meeting.
Conclusion
The students made a song on recycling waste and sustainable behaviour to sing during the rest of the school year.
(D) Activity 14: Making Compost
Ages: 7-16, 60 min
Aim
Making bins in which green waste can be dropped to turn into compost.
Materials
Chicken wire, 4 poles, tape, a partly shaded area.
Preparation
The teacher allocates a location on the school premises to place the compost bins. This needs to be a partly shaded area and not too close to the play area.
Description
of the activity
The teachers discusses the process of making compost with the students. The process includes the following steps: making the compost bins; putting the bins in place; filling the bins; letting the materials decompose; using it for your growing flowers, vegetables or herbs or spreading the compost over flowerbeds, plants and trees.
The teacher and the students start writing a compost management plan. This plan needs to discuss the making of the compost bins and the making of compost and who is responsible. Divide the students into two groups. Each group will be in charge of the following activities:
1. Making of the two bins;
2. Collecting waste from classes, filling the bins, checking the content (every week another child)
3. Using the compost.
Read the following instructions to both groups so they know what to do.
Put the 4 poles in the ground and secure the chicken wire around it. Leave the bottom and top open.
The students start filling the first bin with green waste and mix it well. When the first bin is full make the content moist, cover it with plastic and start fill the second bin over time. The students build two bins in order to have compost continuously. Check the content of the bins regularly and take out the waste that does not belong in the compost bin. After 3 months the content will have turned into compost. When using the compost you can use a sieve to get rid of the big pieces in the compost and add them to the other compost bin. Be aware that the heap has to stay moist and needs air at the same time. If it is not moist, sprinkle some water over the heap. To prevent the sun drying out the compost heap, you can cover the heap with sand or with plastic.
Turn the material every 2 weeks to ensure that there is enough air in it. If the heap is too wet or there is not enough air, it will turn to a foul-smelling soup instead of compost. In this case, add some strips of newspaper or some sawdust and mix these in well. The heap will heat up and the material will turn into compost. Place someone in charge of checking the bins regularly to take out the materials that are do not belong there and to check the level of the moisture and air. When the compost is finished, take out the ‘not totally decomposed material’ and throw it in the
second bin. The compost that is ready can be used to grow existing plants or you can plant new seeds in it. The nutrients in the fertile soil help to grow herbs, fruits, vegetables, flowers, plants and trees.
Print the compost flyer that clearly states what is allowed to go into the compost bin and what is not. Attach the flyer to the compost bin and display it on the school board. Place a smaller compost bin in the classroom.
The students can throw their peels and other green lunch leftovers in this bin and empty it every day into the larger compost bin outside.
Conclusion
Students know how to build a compost bin and turn green waste into compost. They can grow vegetables, fruits and herbs from the compost at school or at home.
(A) Activity 15: Hazardous waste - Batteries
Ages: 7-16, 30 min
Aim
Students become aware of how often we use hazardous waste like batteries, understanding what impact batteries have on our environment and what we can do to prevent harmful effects.
Preparation
The teacher finds out if there is a battery collection and/or recycling program available for batteries in their country.
Materials
The teacher brings some samples of electronic devices running on batteries to school. Examples are: a watch, students toys, flash light, a mobile phone, computers, radios, cameras and remote controls.
Description of the activity
The teacher displays the electronic devices on the table and asks the following questions:
1. What they are running on? (batteries)
2. Can you think of other examples of devices that are using batteries? (smoke detector, electric music instruments, game boys, alarm clock, wireless mouse and cars )
3. What are you supposed to do when the batteries are dead? (As batteries have toxic materials in them you need to bring them to a battery collection point so they can be properly recycled however they often end up in landfill sites)
4. Why are batteries hazardous waste? (Batteries contain toxic materials such as cadmium, nickel, zinc and manganese which are harmful to the environment (soil, water and air) and humans and animals when they end up in landfills.
5. How can you reduce, reuse and recycle batteries?
(reduce batteries: by not buying them and by purchasing equipment that is running on an electric cable instead, reuse batteries: buy rechargeable batteries (secondary batteries) in stead of single use (primary) batteries, recycle batteries: bring your batteries to shops or point where they are collected and shipped to proper recycle facilities.)
6. Make a plan to set up a battery collection and recycling program within the school so all used batteries will be collected and recycled properly. Make sure you include:
- battery collection point at school
- who will collect/bring the batteries from school to the recycle facility
- visit the collection or recycle facility if possible
Conclusion
The students are made aware of the hazardous impact of batteries on our environment when ending up in landfill and have learned how important it is to bring batteries to collection points for recycling.
(A,T,
D)
Activity 16: Reduce Food Waste
Ages: 7-16, 60 min
Aim
Children become aware of the amount of food that gets wasted (1/3 of all foods), and are encouraged to reduce their personal food waste. Children learn to make a quick and simple nutritious meal by using up leftover and ‘sad-looking’ or wonky vegetables. In this case an omelette and a vegetable soup.
Preparation
Watch these two YouTube clips:
Search for ‘YouTube SavingFood Educational on food waste’ or use this link for a 3:29 min video: https://youtu.be/0eqxgvZNn0I
Search for ‘YouTube Lifecycle of the food stuff’ or use this link for a 2:05 min video: https://youtu. be/XJ7VQdaZ4lM
Prepare age-appropriate discussion points (example: do you always finish your food? What do you do with the leftovers? What happens to them? Landfill – Methane - Waste of resources/money/ food). Did you see how much food gets wasted? (1/3)
Prepare a cooking station, buy eggs and bring in stock cubes and possible some leftover cooked pasta/rice. Ask children to bring in a ‘sad-looking’ or wonky vegetable from their fridge at home.
Materials
• Computer/smartboard/TV to watch YouTube clips.
• A hob, frying pan, soup pot, cutting and stirring utensils, plates, cutlery.
• Eggs, stock cube or salt/pepper, oil, milk.
• Hand blender (optional)
Description of the activity
Have a quick discussion about what children do with food waste (if they haven’t finished their breakfast, lunch or dinner, or old forgotten fruit and vegetables in the fridge etc).
Discuss the waste issues here, also touching on the energy, water and other resources that go into growing that food.
Watch one or both of the YouTube clips, and discuss afterwards (learn anything new? Any surprises? Anything you can change at home?)
Collect the sad-looking vegetables the children brought in from home and inspect them (if you notice any mould - don’t use, but throw in compost bin). Brainstorm with the children what you could make with these vegetables to use them up (stir-fry/sauce/mash/quiche/frittata etc.)
Explain we will make soup and/or an omelette with these vegetables. Either work in small groups, or you can do this activity as a whole class demonstration, using children to help when possible.
Omelette: Use any onions/peppers/zucchini etc. The students can wash, peel and cut the vegetables. Sauté them in some oil until soft. Ask the children to crack the eggs, whisk them with some milk and salt and pepper. Add to the pan, stir and then cover until all egg has set. Share and enjoy.
Vegetable soup: Use any root vegetable (potato/carrot/parsnip) or pumpkin/celery/onion etc. The students can wash, peel and cut the vegetables. Put into a large pot of water, together with a stock cube and some salt and pepper. Boil until the vegetables are soft. You can then choose to add some rice/pasta to make a chunky soup or use the hand blender so the soup will thicken and become smooth.
Enjoy the meal and reinforce that you can still use up your older vegetables and make something nutritious.
The children are encouraged to make a list or a mind map of actions to reduce food waste to take home and stick it on the fridge. Find an example of a mind map below:
Use leftovers for breakfast/lunch/dinner
Prepare a meal plan
Conclusion
Combine pantry items with what’s in your fridge and get creative (stew/beans/fried rice/pasta/ omelette/soup/quiche/frittata)
Plan for a ‘clear out the fridge’ dinner
FOOD WASTE
Buy what you need using a shopping list
Feed leftovers to chickens
By becoming aware of the issues around food waste and learning to cook a nutritious meal with leftovers or ‘sad-looking’ vegetables, the children will become less wasteful with their food.
Tip
Search for the fact sheet How to avoid food waste from the Western Metropolitan Regional Council.
SHOP
(D) Activity 17: Organising an ‘Eco-Week’
Ages 7-16, 60+ min
Aim
To share the knowledge the students have about reducing, reusing and recycling waste with the school.
Preparation
The teachers make a list of which activities are going to take place during Eco-Week. Examples of activities can be taken from this Activity Guide, or other activities can be planned such as:
1. ‘Dress up a chair’ challenge – Each class will revamp an old chair using reused and recycled material. The chairs can be sold at the silent auction.
2. Junk to Funk Fashion Show – Students who have signed up will be making outfits out of reusable or recycled material to show on a Junk to Funk Fashion Show.
3. Package Free Lunch Challenge – Students can earn house points for bringing in or buying from the canteen a packaging-free lunch.
4. Silent Art Auction. Students can create an artwork made from recycled materials to be entered in a silent auction. Parents and students can place their bids, and the money can go to a ‘green’ cause.
Materials
Pen, paper and computers.
Description of the activity
The students start planning the organisation of the chosen activities in small groups. For every activity one group of students makes an action plan discussing the following activities:
1. Set a date for the Eco-Week (together with the teacher)
2. Invite people for the Eco-Week by writing emails or letters or announcing the event in the newsletter.
3. Make sign-up lists for the different activities and display them throughout the school.
4. Make promotion materials like posters.
5. Choose the music (for the Junk to Fashion Show).
6. Choose the person who will be in charge of taking pictures and/or filming the event.
7. Choose a green cause for the school to which the auction money will go.
8. Enjoy the Eco-Week and take lots of pictures for the next newsletter!
Write the name of the person responsible behind every task, and make sure that every child in the group knows his or her task. Ask the students to report back to the teacher at the end of each week. This activity can be repeated every year.
Conclusion
Students have fun and make money by reusing waste materials.
(D) Activity 18: Plastic Free July movement
Ages 10-16, 60+ min
Aim
Children learn about the Plastic Free July movement and rethink their habits concerning single-use plastics. They look critically at their own and their family’s use of single-use plastics and find ways to reduce that by swapping them for more sustainable options.
Preparation
Read through the website: https://www.plasticfreejuly.org
This movement started in Australia in 2011 and has since become a global movement. They encourage to start small with simple swaps and eventually trying to go without single-use plastics for a whole month (and beyond).
Find alternative materials for the single use plastics: plastic bags can be swapped for cotton bags, plastic drink cups for jam jars, plastic straws for metal straws, plastic drink bottles for glass bottles, single-use small bottles can be swapped for large bulk water with reusable water bottles, etc.
Materials
Computer/smartboard to explore the website. Whiteboard/blackboard.
Source and display single use plastics and other alternative materials that are mentioned above.
Description of the activity
Display single use items and their more sustainable alternatives on a table in the class room. Discuss with the students what kind of single-use plastics they use on a daily or weekly basis. Divide students into groups of 3-4, and ask them to list all the single-use plastic that gets thrown away each week.
Bring the students back and ask them to write their items on the board or a large piece of paper. Then group these single-use plastics in the places where they are used (for example at school, shops, restaurant, market, work or at home).
Ask the students to discuss these items within their groups and let them come up with more sustainable alternatives and ways to avoid the use of plastic. Make sure these include:
- to plan ahead and bring a cup, cutlery, container, metal/wooden straw, bags, when ever you go out
- to buy in bulk, buy loose items with the use of your own bag or container
- to make bags from an old sheet, pillowcase or net curtain
- to look for alternative packaging; buy cans instead of plastic bottles, paper for plastic, and make sure you recycle any waste you collect
- to refuse plastic items or use plastics multiple times. Refusing plastics has the biggest sustainable impact: do I really need a bag around this item? can I buy this produce loose/without packaging?
For homework, the students are encouraged to record the single-use plastics of their family in a week. Ask them to analyse this use after a week and let them come up with solutions to reduce their use of single-use plastics in their groups.
They write down what they would need to do to reduce their plastic waste. If applicable, they can even make some items to help reduce their plastic use. Think of produce bags or shopping bags from used material, or they can upcycle jars to make them into keep-cups.
At the end of the activity, the students pledge to find a sustainable alternative for three of their most used single-use plastics items for a month. They can share their pledge with their class mates. At the end of the month, you can do this exercise again and calculate how much waste the children have saved by making some simple changes in their behaviour with regards to the use of single-use plastics.
Conclusion
Reducing waste by refusing the use of single-use plastics is very achievable. It just takes a little thought and planning. The children have learned to find alternatives for single-use items and collectively are making more sustainable choices which has a positive environmental impact.
(T) Activity 19: ‘Plastic Soup’
Ages: 10-16, 45 min
Aim
The students become aware of the existence of the plastic soup in the oceans.
Materials
Computer with internet access.
Preparation
Look at the website www.plasticsoupfoundation.org
Description of the activity
Show the YouTube movies on plastic soup: “Plastic Soup – The Great Pacific Patch” and “Recycled Island From Plastic Ocean” and discuss this solution to the problem. The students work in pairs and start to write a letter or an article about plastic soup. The students can write a letter to a company or supermarket telling them about the dangers of plastics, ho is impacted and how they can contribute to the solution, for instance by reducing plastic packaging or increase company lead recycling options.
Gather information from the internet or on the following questions while writing the article or letter:
1. What is the meaning of ‘plastic soup’?
2. Where can you find it, and how big is it?
3. How does the waste end up there? (via rivers, air, land)
4. Who is going to be affected by the plastic soup? (marine animals, humans when eating fish)
5. What can we do to stop the polluting of the oceans?
6. Which organisations are working to solve this problem and how?
When the students are finished, they read their articles or letters to their peers.
Conclusion
Students learn about the magnitude of the plastic soup and its impacts on animals and humans. They become aware of measures that can be taken by individuals and companies to reduce plastic pollution, reducing plastics to end up in our rivers and oceans.
(T) Activity 20: Circular Economy
Ages: 10-16, time: 45 min
Aim
Students understand the difference between a linear and a circular economy.
Preparation
The teacher reads and watches the following link produced by the Ellen Mac Arthur Foundation. This foundation is a leading organisation in the transition towards a circular economy. Search for their video ‘Re-thinking the process: The circular economy’ or use this link: https:// www.facebook.com/EllenMacArthurFoundation/videos/10155752559984821
Materials
A computer with internet access, whiteboard, HGW student book and paper and pen.
Description of the activity
The teacher shows the children the Youtube video (3:46 minutes). Ellen Mac Arthur Foundation: Re-thinking the process: The circular economy.
The teacher explains the difference between a linear and circular economy.
A linear economy is a system where raw materials are taken from finite resources here on earth, to make or produce a product. This then gets consumed or used, and at the end of its lifecycle is discarded, producing waste.
A circular economy is an economic system aiming at minimising waste by reusing resources, materials and nutrients indefinitely. The concept of the circular economy is to mimic nature, for example when a tree or animal dies, it becomes nutrients for other animals or plants so they can grow. It is all about reusing our resources indefinitely and avoiding waste. Waste is seen as a source for reproducing, repurposing or redesigning products.
The behaviour of humans within the two systems when producing a product looks like the following:
• Linear economy: Take=>Make=>Dispose; waste is produced and finite resources are discarded.
• Circular economy: Returned=>Redesigned=> Remake=> Repair=>Returned; no waste is produced and the precious finite resources are reused.
Discuss with the students the two models. Discuss what the benefits are for both models. Come to the conclusion that the circular economy is far superior when it comes to minimising waste and reusing resources indefinitely when producing a product.
Next, the teacher writes the following words in this order on the board:
• Redesign
• Production
• Waste
• Reuse, Repair, & Recycle
• Distribution
• Collection/Return
• Consumption
In pairs, the students place the words in the correct order to reflect a circular economy model. There is one word they won’t need, remind the students of that. (That word is: waste.)
After a few minutes, using student input, draw the correct model on the board and discuss with the class. Be sure to point out that WASTE does NOT belong in a circular economy.
The closed circle of the circular economy can look like this:
This is also referred to as ‘a closed loop’. Let the students explain why that is also a good name.
Now use paper as a practical example of a circular product. Ask the students to draw a similar closed loop for paper, adding visuals, like drawings and pictures.
After a few minutes, draw the closed loop of paper on the board, making sure to explain what happens in each step (production, consumption etc.)
This is a practical example of a closed loop of paper:
(News)paper (News)paper to shops
Design invitations out of paper sheets
(Redesign)
Press pulp in new sheets of (News)paper
Closed loop of (News)paper
(Production) (Distribution) (Consumption)
Buy&Read (News)paper
Collect&Shred (News)paper into pulp
(Collection, Return)
Discuss with the students that not all products can be processed in a circular way. Many products or parts of products don’t get recycled and are discarded. It is crucial that products are designed, from the start, with the circular economy in mind. Hopefully in the future more products will be designed circular to avoid waste.
Conclusion
Students understand the difference between a linear and a circular economy and circular product design, and which steps to take to create a closed loop ensuring resources to be indefinitely reused and recycled, and no waste is generated.
(A) Activity 21: Gifting, Sharing & Lending - Nr 1.
Ages: 4-10, 45 min
Aim
The children recognise that by lending, sharing and using pre-loved, second-hand items, we reduce waste, and save money and resources.
Materials
Paper and drawing materials. White board/black board/smartboard/large paper to make mind maps with the children.
Description of the activity
Start a conversation about what you do with items such as toys and clothing that are still good enough to play with or wear, but which you don’t use anymore. Do you just throw them away? Such a waste of money, resources and waste. Explain as needed.
Discuss the options of what to do with them: - give to a friend, do a swap, sell online, bring to a second-hand shop etc. Most people are happy to lend you items, or even gift them to you. Also discuss why buying new is not the best option – a lot of resources are used to make them (water, materials, labour) and adds to landfill in the future.
Divide the children into groups and let them brainstorm for 10 minutes on how to avoid buying new items in the following situations:
1. School production
2. Birthday party
3. Holidays
4. Outgrown your clothes or in need of bigger size clothes
5. Toys you no longer want or new toys you would like
Once each group has discussed all the above situations and came up with ideas, the teacher creates a class mind map on the white board with the ideas of the children. The mind map can look like this:
(A) Gifting, Sharing & Lending - Nr 2.
Ages 10-16, time: 60 min
Aim
The children recognise that by lending, sharing and using pre-loved, second-hand items, we reduce waste, save money and save resources. They become aware of existing groups on the internet like Facebook’s Buy Nothing Project, sell/swap pages, local on-selling pages etc
Materials
Computer/smartboard with internet connection. Blackboard/large paper and pens. Individual devices with an internet connection.
Description of the activity
Discuss if students have bought items that are used only once or a few times. Talk about the effects: waste of money, add to landfill, waste of resources etc.
What can we do to avoid situations like that? Pass it on, sell second-hand, look to borrow before buying, shop at charity shops, ask around.
Discuss different situations applicable to the students’ environment: you can think of school uniforms, sports equipment, dressing-up clothes for parties, catering for large parties/groups. Always keeping in mind what we can do to AVOID buying new items, and discuss the benefits.
Search for the YouTube film ‘The Story of Stuff with Annie Leonard’ and let the children watch this 21-minute film. You can also use this link: https://youtu.be/9GorqroigqM
Briefly discuss what the students have learned.
Introduce local websites to the group: swap/sell Facebook groups, Gumtree, the Buy Nothing project on Facebook. Browse one of these websites in-depth with the children. We recommend joining a local Buy Nothing group on Facebook and show what type of materials are being gifted and what the rules and regulations are.
Talk about shopping at charity shops or second-hand shops and identify where these shops are located.
Students can raise awareness by designing posters or posts with encouraging messages about thinking to borrow before buying new etc. Children and parents are encouraged to sign up for local gifting sites. Students can also create a swap/lend/borrow website or facebook page for their local (school) community or class.
Conclusion
Students learn there is often no need to buy brand new items if you ask around to borrow first. By gifting, sharing and lending people can avoid adding waste to landfill and conserve resources. Children are encouraged to stimulate a second-hand culture in their community.
(A) Activity 22: Packaging Causes Waste
All ages, time: 45 min
Aim
Recognising that a large amount of waste comes from packaging.
Preparation
The teacher and the students bring the requested materials to school before the activity starts.
Materials
Boxes or jars of products like cornflakes, peanut butter, rice, pre-packaged products, fruits, milk, yoghurt, chewing gum and drink bottles. Bring a full and an empty container of the same product (or a product that is easy to empty) and a set of scales.
Description of the activity
This activity can be done in small groups. Each group of students does the following: (1) compares the weight of the product to the weight of the packaging; (2) writes down the results; and (3) shares the results with the other students. Each group should have one product and a scale. The teacher asks one child to write down the weights and results, one to replace the product, and one to present the results to the other groups.
1. All kinds of products are on the teacher’s table. Of each product there is one empty and one full. One child from each group chooses a product and its packaging and brings them to his or her group. The students compare the weight of the product and its packaging and write down the weights of the product itself and the weight of the packaging. They then discuss the necessity of the packaging. When finished, they return the product to the table and choose another product and packaging.
2. The students make a list of products that have little packaging (fruits, rice, potatoes) and products that have much packaging (like liquids or breakable products, chewing gum or double-wrapped biscuits) and whether the packaging is necessary or excessive.
3. The students should become aware of the amount of packaging a product has, compared to the product itself, and learn to look critically at extra packaging. The teacher explains that we can reduce waste when diminishing the packaging of a product. Take-away restaurants and double-wrapped products should be avoided. After use always discard the packaging in the correct bin to reuse and recycle it.
Younger students can use the scales to become aware that packaged materials are always heavier than non-packaged items, and they can point out the necessary packaging and the packaging that is not really necessary (like products that have two different kind of packaging).
Conclusion
Diminishing packaging is a way to reduce waste. This can be done by taking your own carrying bag to the shop, refusing to use styrofoam plates or choosing non-prepackaged items.
(A) Activity 23: Lunchtime waste
All ages, 30 min
Aim
Understanding how much waste we produce everyday during lunchtime.
Preparation
The teacher and the students bring food and drinks for lunch to school.
Materials
The teacher brings some samples: a cucumber in plastic, fruit in aluminium foil, crisps in a bag, juice boxes and other wrappings that are normally taken to school.
Description of the activity
Show the YouTube movie: “Green Kids Take Charge: Part 1 of 3”.
This activity builds awareness through experience; therefore the child should discover how much waste is brought to school every lunch break.
Students think about the following questions and come up with ideas that lead to the reduction of waste.
1. What did you bring today for break time? All students put their food and drinks on the table and look at the packaging of it.
2. What is considered to be waste?
3. How can we reduce the waste of our meals?
4. When you are finished eating and drinking, where do you throw the waste?
The students place their waste in a big pile and become aware that this amount of waste is produced by only one class in one day after one break!
Let the students brainstorm on possible way to reduce their lunchtime waste:
- Bring your drinks in a reusable bottle every day and clean it after use.
- Bring your bread or biscuits in a reusable container.
- If you bring crisps, buy a family bag and take only some of it to school in a reusable contain er, or buy a family bag and share with your friends.
- Encourage parents to offer lunch in reusable boxes and drink bottles.
- Encourage school to only offer foods on reusable plates (no styrofoam) and drinks in reusable cups.
- All waste needs to go in the bin!
Conclusion
The students enjoy their food and drinks and agree to throw waste in the bin and to reduce their waste over the following days.
(A) Activity 24: Buy in Bulk
All ages, 30 min
Aim
The students discover that a big bag of popcorn or crisps will lead to less waste than many small bags.
Preparation
The teacher brings the requested materials to school before the activity starts.
Materials
Large bag of crisps and small bags of crisps and tape.
Description of the activity
Each child receives a small bag of crisps. The teacher holds the large bag of crisps. The teacher asks the following questions to the students and writes the answers on the board:
- What is the weight of the crisps in the small bag? And in the large bag?
- How many small bags have the same weight as one large bag?
The students are allowed to eat and enjoy the crisps. When finished eating, tape the empty bags to each other in the same form as the big bag. Tape as many small bags together as would hold the same weight as the one large bag. Which packaging produces more waste?
The teacher writes the following statements on the whiteboard and asks the students to discuss the answer:
1. You produce less waste when buying 200 grams in small bags of crisps.
2. You produce less waste when buying 200 grams in large bags of crisps. (Choose which answer is correct) The correct answer is 2.
How could you still bring some popcorn or crisps for lunch without buying the little bags? Take out a portion from the big bag at home and carry it to school in a reusable bag or lunchbox. Explain to the students that this can be done with other products as well. What other products are suitable to buy in bulk? (soft drinks, laundry detergents, etc)
Conclusion
Buying in bulk is preferable in terms of waste and is cheaper in the long run.
(T) Activity 25: What is the difference?
All ages, 45 min
Aim
The students see the effects of pollution through discussing the polluted and clean city pictured in the students’s book and the impact pollution has on air, soil, water and health (both of people and of animals).
Materials Student book.
Preparation
During this activity the students work in pairs. Explain how to draw a mind map if needed.
Description of the activity
The students choose to make a mind map of either a clean city or a polluted city. Put at the centre the word ‘clean city’ or ‘polluted city’ and brainstorm about the effect of the absence or presence of waste on the environment, air, water, food, and animals and people’s health. The students can use the student book to observe the effects of a polluted or clean city.
When the students are finished, the teacher writes a class mind map on the whiteboard. The students share what they wrote and the teacher explains the effects of waste on our world and our lives. Examples of the mind maps are displayed below.
Conclusion
Students become aware of the impact pollution has on air, soil, water and health of living beings.
(D) Activity 26: Happy Green Tanzania Game
All ages, 30 min
Aim
Students learn about the issues relating to waste by playing the Happy Green Tanzania game on waste.
Materials
Happy Green Tanzania board game, pawns and dice.
Preparation
The teacher explains the instructions of the board game, which are written on the back of the game. The teacher divides the students into groups of 3-4 and provides the pawns and dice.
Description of the activity
The students play the Happy Green Tanzania board game.
(D) Activity 27: Reactions of Materials to Soil, Water and Air
All ages, 45 min
Aim
The students discover how different substances react to being buried: by rusting, rotting, sprouting or staying the same. The students will learn the meaning of the words ‘biodegradable’ and ‘non-biodegradable’.
Preparation
• Teacher brings the requested materials to school.
• Divide the students into groups.
• Wear gloves when handling soil, and always wash your hands thoroughly afterwards.
• Be careful when students are using plastic bags.
• Note that this activity can be messy.
Materials
A pot of soil or access to a garden, a spade or trowel, paper, coloured pencils, plastic bags, sticks, nuts, dried beans, a glass bottle, paperclips, wood, fruits or vegetables like onions or potatoes
Description of the activity
1. Each group of students chooses different items to bury.
2. The students draw the items before they bury them, for later comparison.
3. The students bury the items. Mark the items with a stick in order to find them later. Note: give some water every week. Some plants, like beans and onions, need water to sprout.
4. After about 3 weeks, the students go back and dig up the items they buried.
5. The students draw the items again. How much have they changed from the original draw ings? Discuss the results with the students.
6. Teach the meanings of ‘biodegradable’ and ‘non-biodegradable’ by using the buried exam ples. Biodegradable waste means that it can be broken down over time by micro-organisms and other living things living in the earth. Examples are green waste, waste of vegetables and fruits and paper waste. Did the item not change at all? Then it is non-biodegradable. Examples are aluminium cans, plastic containers and rubber tyres. These items will never break down in a landfill, or it takes many years. However, non-biodegradable items (such as glass) could be recycled into new products.
7. If the items started to grow, like the onion, take care of them by giving them water and sun light. Put the plants in pots and place them in the classroom.
Conclusion
Items react differently when placed in soil. Some sprout, others decay and turn into soil again (biodegradable) or do not change at all because they are not biodegradable. In order to reduce the amount we dump in landfills, we need to reduce, reuse and recycle.
(T) Activity 28: Decomposition Times
All ages, 45 min
Aim
The students discover that nature can decompose waste and how long it takes for sun, wind and rain to decompose materials.
Preparation
Make sure the internet is working to show the movie ‘Gloop’.
Materials
Information Source: US National Park Service
Paper, a piece of fruit, a glass bottle, cans, a plastic bottle, juice box, internet access.
Description of the activity
First the YouTube movie “Gloop” is shown to the students. Then the teacher asks the students to repeat the dangers the plastics cause.
Explain that plastic is non-biodegradable, meaning is has a long decomposition time. Decomposition is a process of breaking down organic matter physically and chemically by bacterial or fungal action. Often it takes a long time for nature to decompose materials. If you throw a soda can on to the ground, it can takes up to 500 years for nature, wind and sun to decompose the material.
The teacher writes a mind map on decomposition times on the white board and let the students come up with the different decomposition times. Make use of the mind map below. Please draw pictures of the different materials for young students to be able to understand well. Mention
explicitly that climate and weather conditions have an impact on how ‘quickly’ an item decomposes. The more sunshine, rain, wind and bacteria, the faster the decomposing process.
The students form groups of 2 or 3 and start answering the following questions:
1. What happens when we throw waste in nature or in a landfill? (It will stay there for a long time, having bad effect on soil, water and air.)
2. What is the decomposition time of a banana, a glass bottle, a paper bag and a plastic bottle?
3. Which product decomposes the fastest? (fruits and green waste)
4. Which one the slowest? (styrofoam)
5. What will happen to plastics? Does it decompose quickly or slowly compared to a banana? Plastic never completely disappears, it breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces, causing toxic sand.
6. What is decomposing the materials? (sun, wind, worms, bacteria)
7. What is styrofoam?
This material is non-biodegradable, meaning it stays in nature forever!
Try never to use this material since single-use products are often made from Styrofoam.
8. What can you do to help nature? (reduce, reuse, recycle waste (the 3 R’s), start sorting your waste at home and please discard waste in the bin.)
Conclusion
Materials can be decomposed by nature but it often takes a long time. A better solution than to bring waste on a landfill is to reuse and recycle products.
(D) Activity 29: Making a Jump Rope
All ages, 45 min
Aim
Students learn how to reuse waste products by making a jump rope.
Materials
Plastic bags, scissors, tape and a heavy object.
Preparation
Please be sure the students are careful when working with plastic bags and scissors. Make a rope in advance to show the students.
Description of the activity
Students reuse plastic bags to make a jump rope. Demonstrate how to make a jump rope by showing an already made sample. Then let the students follow the steps written below to make their own jump rope.
1. Cut the handles off the plastic bags and slit open the sides.
2. Cut the plastic bags into 2 to 3 cm strips, starting at the bottom and ending at the top open ing.
3. Gather three (or six) strips and knot them together about 8 cm from the end.
4. Secure the knot under a table leg or have someone hold it, and braid the three strips until you are about 5 inches from the end.
5. Tape three more strips of plastic to the ends of the braided strips and continue braiding.
6. Repeat this process until the jump rope is as long as you want, knotting the strips together about 5 inches from the end.
7. If desired, tape the ends together to form handles.
When the students are finished, they can jump with their jump ropes during the break.
Conclusion
The students learn to make new products from used materials.
(D) Activity 30: Cleaning an Area
All ages, 60 min
Aim
The students discover that they can take part cleaning up waste in their environment.
Materials
Garbage bins, plastic gloves, broom, dustpan.
Preparation
The teacher takes a ‘before and after’ picture of the area to be able to show the difference after the clean-up.
Description of the activity
The students are going to clean an area – either the playground or an area close to the school. The students clean the chosen area with plastic gloves, a broom, a dustpan and plastic bags. When finished, the students return to the classroom and start separating the waste by throwing the waste into the bins according to the agreed categories: glass, green waste, paper, plastic and miscellaneous. Make sure the students wash their hands after the activity.
Back in the classroom, students set rules for keeping the area and playground clean. The set of rules can be the following:
- Keep the area clean.
- Always throw waste like paper, cans and food leftovers in the waste bin.
- Do not discard waste out of the window of a car, home or office. Keep it with you until you find a waste bin.
- Start picking up trash that was left behind … do not leave it for others to do.
- Provide waste bins and place them in the schoolyard, halls or homes.
- Bring food to school in reusable items like reusable lunch boxes and mugs.
- Bring your own bag when going to the shops.
- Start using separate bins to sort waste.
- Reduce, reuse and recycle.
- Enjoy a tidy place and beautiful nature.
In the coming days the students follow the rules they have set to reduce waste in the area.
When finished, the students can creating a poster which can be displayed at school. Don’t forget to include the ‘before and after’ picture and the most important rule.
The teacher can make a contest for the best poster. The winner can send their poster to info@ happygreenworld.org and maybe your poster will be used in our Happy Green World awareness campaigns!
(D) Activity 31: Recycling paper
All ages, 60 min
Aim
The students learn how to recycle paper.
Preparation
Teacher makes sure that all needed materials are available. Students bring waste paper from home.
Materials
Scissors, waste paper, big bowls, wooden spoon, framework, wire mesh such as chicken wire (with very small holes), pieces of cloth, heavy object to press onto the paper sheet.
Description of the activity
Paper is used a lot nowadays. We use it for newspapers, magazines, posters, notebooks, cardboard boxes and books. Paper is made from trees and is part of our everyday lives. We cannot imagine living without paper. Paper makes up over 30% of our waste stream, making it the material that we throw away most. This means that for every 100 kilos of waste we throw away, about 30 kilos of it is paper. If we could recycle more newspapers, we could save more trees from being cut down and greatly improve the oxygen level in the air!
Recycling paper is the process of turning used paper into new paper products. It can be turned into newspapers and notebooks, but also paper towels and toilet paper. The process of recycling paper is quite easy, and you can even do this at home.
The students can now start to recycle paper. This process will take some time to be finished completely.
1. The students work in small groups. On their table is a bucket and waste paper. Each group either cuts or tears the paper into small pieces.
2. The students put the pieces in a bucket and add some water, stir it occasionally. Leave it in the water till it becomes pulp or mix it with a mixer (if available) till it turns into pulp.
3. Make a sieve: make a framework and attach the wire mesh to the framework. It is easier to use an existing sieve. The teacher helps the students with the use of the sieve if necessary.
4. Sieve the pulp, shake it so the pulp is spread evenly and let the water drain until the sheet has some body, meaning that it is the thickness of a piece of paper with no see-through parts.
5. Put a cloth on top of the sheet and turn it around and put another cloth on top of it.
6. Let it dry while pressing heavy books on top for 2 hours or take it through a press.
7. Lift the object carefully, and there is your self-made paper sheet! Leave it in the sun to allow it to fully dry.
Conclusion
Students know how to recycle paper from paper waste.
(D) Activity 32: Compost game
All ages, 30 min
Aim
The compost game will lead to a better understanding of which ‘ingredients’ turn into compost.
Materials
One red and one green piece of paper for each child.
Preparation
The teacher makes sure each child has a green and a red piece of paper on his or her table. These papers can be reused when the students make posters during other activities! If this is not available, the teacher can ask the students to say Yes or No out loud when answering the questions.
Description
of the activity
The teacher will ask the students questions about which items can turn into compost. The students respond by showing the green if the answer is ‘Yes’ or the red card for ‘No’.
The students can think back to the story of Cellio the compost caterpillar. The items Cellio likes are used to make compost.
The teacher starts to call out the following materials and asks for an explanation of the given answers.
• Apple (yes, Cellio like fruits and they will turn into compost)
• Meat (no, it will attract animals to the compost heap to eat the meat)
• Leaves (yes, leaves will turn into compost)
• Plastics (no, plastics will not turn into compost)
• Oil (no, the compost heap will rot)
• Tomato (yes, Cellio loves vegetables)
• Paper (yes, but only a little)
• Bread (no, it will start to rot and it will attract animals to the heap)
• Grass (yes, grass will turn into compost)
• Tea and coffee (yes, tea leaves and coffee beans will turn into compost)
• Fish (no, Cellio does not like fish and fish will attract animals to the compost heap)
• Wood (yes, small branches make a perfect ingredient for the compost heap)
• Continue to name all sorts of fruits or vegetables (yes, Cellio loves them)
The teacher explains that when you put all the approved items on a big heap, they will decompose into compost after 3 to 6 months, depending on the climate. It takes more time to make compost in colder than in warmer climates. The compost can be used to grow flowers, plants, trees, vegetables and herbs in.
From now on, the students start to bring green waste (like fruits) from their lunch boxes to the compost bins that are placed at school.
Conclusion
The students have learned what kind of waste will turn into compost.
(D) Activity 33: Planting seeds and/or trees
All ages, 60 min
Aim
The students plant seeds and take care of them.
Materials
Compost, pots, a variety of blue and green felt or paper, cotton balls and white glue, used cups, plastic bottles and seeds.
Preparation
Mix the self-made compost with sand or potting soil. The students bring empty plastic bottles or yoghurt cups to school.
Description of the activity
If you are using a plastic bottle, start by cutting the top off of the bottle (10 cm from the top) and poke four holes in the bottom. If you are using a yoghurt pot, just put the holes into the bottom. The students can decorate their pots in a variety of ways, using nature as an inspiration. Students fill the bottom of the bottle with small rocks and the remainder with potting soil. Then the bottles are ready for seeds to be planted inside, by sprinkling them on the soil, patting them down gently, and pouring a little water onto the soil.
Put the pots in the classroom so they can see the sprouting of the seeds. Make sure the plants get sunlight and water the plant once every 2 or 3 days.
If you are planning to plant trees, discuss with the students the underestimated importance of trees. You can use the following benefits of trees:
• trees provide oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide (CO2 which is a greenhouse gas).
• trees provide shade, cool the air and retain moisture in the soil.
• trees reduce soil erosion.
• trees provide housing for animals and increases biodiversity.
• trees provide fruits and medicine.
• trees provide construction materials and fuel like fire wood and charcoal.
• falling leaves provide nutrients to the soil.
• trees have a positive impact on our mental health.
Have an age appropriate conversation with you students about the importance of trees using some or all of the qualities mentioned.
Take the students for a walk and let them explore the plants and trees in the area. Teach them how important plants and trees are for life on earth.
Conclusion
Students understand the importance of plants and trees for life on earth of humans and animals.
(A) Activity 34: Honour the Planet
All ages, time: 30 min
Aim
To become aware of the importance and beauty of nature.
Preparation
The teachers chooses a movie on nature broadcasted by YouTube. Choose from the following movies:
1. “Planet Earth: What a Wonderful World”
2. “20 World Most Beautiful Places” – Keksinnot
Materials
Internet, YouTube movie.
Description of the activity
The teacher shows the YouTube video to the students. When the video is finished the teacher asks them to think of a holiday they enjoyed or a place outdoors that they love to go.
Ask them to visualise it and share that experience with the class. The teacher can asks questions such as:
- How did you feel being at that special place?
- Would you like to go there again?
- Do you think it will still be the same after many years?
- Do you think the place is still beautiful or polluted?
- What can you do to keep it clean and green?
Conclusion
Explain that we cannot live without the planet and all that nature offers us. We rely on air, water and food, which all comes from our planet. If we do not take care of nature, the forests, oceans and mountains will be polluted and spoiled for the next generations to come. Please produce less waste, deal properly with the waste you produce and throw it in the bin.
Dictionary
Compost: Fertile soil which is a mixture of rotting plant and food scraps (green waste) used to improve soil structure and provide nutrients to flowers, plants and trees.
Decompose: To break down into smaller parts; for example, an apple will rot and turn back into the nutrients (soil) it was made from.
Environment: Everything that surrounds a living thing and affects its growth and health.
Waste or litter: Anything that is thrown away (discarded) because it is not wanted or is considered worthless.
Hazardous Waste: Waste that is dangerous to a person’s health.
Landfill: A site for disposing solid waste on land.
Mind map: A diagram used to represent words, ideas, tasks, or other items linked to and arranged around a central key word or idea (which is written in the middle). Mind maps are used to brainstorm, visualise, structure, and classify ideas.
Plastic soup: A huge area of mostly plastic waste floating in the oceans.
Recycle: To put a used object or material through a process that makes it into something new. This keeps the object or material from being entered into the waste stream.
Reduce: To use an item less or not at all, according to your needs and possibilities. We can use less packaging by bringing our own plastic bag to the shop and therefore reducing plastic waste.
Reuse: To use an item again, for the same or a different purpose; for example, we can reuse plastic grocery bags as bin liners.
Rot: To decay; green waste in a compost bin will rot and become fertiliser.
Soil: The fertile top layer of the earth’s surface in which plants grow; a nutrient-rich type of dirt used in gardens and potted plants.
Sustainable: Conserving an ecological balance by avoiding the depletion of natural resources for next generations.
The Happy Green World Foundation aims to raise awareness on environmental topics by developing educational programs on waste, water and energy.
The Happy Green World Program is a tool to teach children from 4 to 16 years to adopt a more sustainable behaviour towards waste.
The program includes an Activity Guide, Student Book and Board Game. These resources can be used separately or together. All materials are easy to teach, practical, interactive, colourful and fun.
The Happy Green World Program is available in English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Bahasa Indonesia, Vietnamese, Thai and Swahili.
HAPPY GREEN TANZANIA
Green World