Monday, October 17, 2011

It's Good to be Green: Reduce, Reuse, and Recover


Got trash? Sure you do; we all do. Go green with us as we explore how our trash is recovered and recycled to be used again in new forms. We’ll also learn ways each of us can go greener and help reduce our impact on the environment by developing strategies that “reduce, reuse, and recover.”

Program Description:

What happens to that aluminum can, plastic bottle, office paper, or cardboard cereal box when you place it in the recycling bin? Where does it go? How is it sorted? What kind of impact are you really having on the environment when you decide to reduce, reuse and recover?  In commemoration of America Recycles Day on November 15, we’ll explore those questions and more as we see how our trash is recovered and recycled to be used again in new forms.  We’ll also learn ways each of us can go greener and help reduce our impact on the environment by developing strategies that “reduce, reuse, and recover.”

Meet experts from the Earthways Center of the Missouri Botanical Garden, experts from the Missouri Recycling Association, and students who are making a difference in their community with their recycling projects. Ask your questions about going greener and steps you can take to make a difference in your community.

PLEASE NOTE: We are interested in featuring one or two student-led recycling efforts with our audience for each program. If your school has an initiative you’d like to share about during the program, please let us know in your enrollment request and we will contact you to learn more about it.

Program Objectives:
1.  The participant will gain a greater understanding about the nature of our ecosystem and of the role environmental awareness and action takes in maintaining that ecosystem.

2. The participant will interact with experts involved in recycling and other environmental industries.

3.  The participant will gain a greater understanding of his or her individual impact on the environment and learn how to utilize “green”
strategies to better balance that impact with his or her life needs and choices.


Program Format:
The videoconference program will consist of the following segments. 
Student questions and comments will be woven into all segments of the program.

1.  Welcome and Introduction—Student groups and experts will be introduced and welcomed to the program.

2.  The Big Picture—We’ll look at general information about the amount of trash individual Americans and the country as a whole produce each year, and the toll this takes on our environment. As part of their preparation for the program, students should take part in the “Waste Audit” activity that is included in the pre-program activity materials for this show. As you read over the activity you will notice that teachers may determine if they wish to have students do this activity with their home trash, their classroom trash or both.  Please follow the guidelines for the activity you choose and send us your results via e-mail to live@hectv.org no later than October 31, 2011.  Please also let us know in that e-mail the name of the student and/or students who will present their individual or class results during this section of the program. We will then call on them by name during this section of the program to share their information.

3.  What Happens to Your Trash?—In this segment we’ll follow the trail of some trash from the point where it gets tossed in the trash can through its placement in a larger dumpster to being picked up by the waste company and then sent on to the recycling location or dump location. We’ll also talk about the wide variety of items that can be recycled and look at examples of that in practice. Students will have the chance to ask questions and also share their experiences with recycling themselves.

4.  What You Can Do—In this segment we’ll look at ways people can recycle even more including how to participate in “America Recycles Day”
on November 15, and also see examples of programs in practice in communities where our student audiences are located.  Composting and other reduce, reuse, recover methods will be discussed.  As mentioned in the “Please Note” section of our program description, if your school has a project you’d like to share with our audience, let us know about it in your enrollment request and we’ll contact you to find out more about it.

5.  Summary and Closing—We’ll summarize the major concepts learned today and seek final questions from students.

Featured National Standards: (Science)
Unifying Concepts and Processes - Unifying concepts and processes help students think about and integrate a range of basic ideas which builds an understanding of the natural world
1.    Systems, order, and organization
2.    Evidence, models, and explanation

Science as Inquiry - Science as inquiry requires students to combine processes and scientific knowledge with scientific reasoning and critical thinking to develop their understanding of science.
1.    Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry
2.    Understandings about scientific inquiry

Science and Technology - An understanding of science and technology establishes connections between the natural and designed world, linking science and technology.
1.    Abilities of technological design

Featured State Standards (Missouri):
Schools from across the country are invited to join in the program. 
Missouri state standards are provided for Missouri schools since funding for this program comes from various Missouri organizations.

Missouri Grade Level Expectations

Strand 7: Scientific Inquiry
Science understanding is developed through the use of science process skills, scientific knowledge, scientific investigation, reasoning, and critical thinking

Participant Preparation:
1.  Participants should come to the program with an interest in science, recycling, the environment, and/or related topics.

2.  Participants should utilize preparatory materials provided for the program and other resources of their own to better understand the context of the program’s subject and to think in advance of questions they wish to ask the experts.

3.  Based on pre-program activity number 1, teachers should send their group’s “waste audit” results via e-mail to live@hectv.org no later than October 31, 2011.  Please also let us know in that e-mail the name of the student and/or students who will present their individual or class results during this section of the program. We will then call on them by name during this section of the program to share their information.

4.  Based on pre-program activity number 2, teachers should send us via e-mail to live@hectv.org their group’s three to five most burning questions they definitely want to ask the experts during the program. 
This information should be sent no later than the end of the school day Monday, October 31, 2011.

5.  Participants should have pencil and paper ready to use during the program to jot down ideas and additional questions as they come to mind.

Pre-Program Activity Suggestions:

1.  To gain a better understanding of how much trash they produce, have your students do a Waste Audit either at home, in the classroom, or both. Utilize the instructions provided in the handout entitled “Waste Audit Instructions” that accompanies these materials. As you read over the activity you will notice that teachers may determine if they wish to have students do this activity with their home trash, their classroom trash or both.  Please follow the guidelines for the activity you choose and send us your results via e-mail to live@hectv.org no later than October 31, 2011.  Please also let us know in that e-mail the name of the student and/or students who will present their individual or class results during the appropriate section of the program. We will then call on them by name during this section of the program to share their information.

2.   Help facilitate the most effective discussion possible during the
program by e-mailing us three to five “burning questions” your students have developed in advance to ask our guests during the program.  Have students develop these questions by investigating the websites included in the “Supplemental Resources” section of these materials.  Questions could be about the organizations themselves and the work they do, or questions inspired by what students found intriguing while they perused the sites. We will use these advance questions to help organize the discussion and focus student learning on these areas of interest. 
Please send these questions to us via e-mail at live@hectv.org no later than Monday, October 31, 2011.  We will go through all questions received to eliminate overlap and organize them into the program, and then e-mail you back with the questions from you group that will definitely be included in the program.  Please also include the name of the student who will be asking the question so we can call on that child by name during the program.

Post-Program Activity Suggestions:

1.  Have each student journal on what they have learned about trash, recycling, the environment, actions they could take, etc. that they did not know before the program.  What did they find most interesting, frustrating, unique, etc. about the topic they choose to write on?  Have them share their journal entries with a partner or with the teacher.

2.  Numerous follow-up activities related to recycling and environmental awareness are provided at the websites included in the “Supplemental Resources” section of these materials. Please peruse these sites to determine which activities are most appropriate for your students.

Program Keywords:

Environment, recycle, recycling, ecology, pollution, littering, trash, waste management

Vocabulary Words and Definitions:

Related vocabulary is included in the websites listed in the “Supplemental Resources” section of these materials.

Supplemental Resources:

This is the EPA’s website which has a wide variety of curriculum and educational materials related to the topic of our program. Resources and materials are broken into three grade levels: K-5, 6 to 8, and 9 to 12.

Find out more about America Recycles Day and see activities that you and your students can do to participate in the national event.

Guests for our program will include a representative from the Missouri Recycling Association. Find out more about the organization and view their educational materials at their website. See how your students can participate in the Recycle Bowl.

Another of our guests will come from the Earthways Center of the Missouri Botanical Garden. Find out about that organization and view their educational materials at their website.

This website of the Green Education Foundation provides a wealth of curriculum resources. The “Waste Audit” pre-program activity is modified from one on their website.

Cancellation Policy:

Since there may well be a waiting list for interactive participation, we ask that you let us know of your need to cancel as soon as you know.

Technology Specifications:

This program will be bridged through our state bridging agency, MOREnet.  When you register for the program, please include the IP address of the VC unit you’ll be using to connect to the MOREnet bridge when participating in the program. This information is needed to send to MOREnet to arrange your test call with them prior to the program.  As part of the confirmation you’ll receive after we get your registration and IP information, we’ll send you the details for the test call with MOREnet. A validation test call MUST be made no less than one week before the program's air date.

Tim Gore
Interactive Coordinator
314-531.4455