School Projects
An entire school's garbage adds up fast, but usually it's only the custodial staff that sees it. Getting everyone thinking about reductions will lighten the load for both the school budget and waste haulers, which will also use less gas.
Paperless Office
If your students are trying to reduce paper use in your classroom, it's time they taught the administrative staff a little lesson about going paperless. Of course, it's highly unlikely you'll be able to get them to go completely paperless, but with a few simple tips they can probably cut their use in half — not a small amount at most schools. Have your students conduct an initial survey with the staff asking how much paper they use and what types of things they print. Back in the classroom, have the students brainstorm ways that the staff could reduce their use of paper. Some of the most important steps they can take include printing on both sides of the paper, not printing e-mails, and trying to keep documents digital instead of printing them. Then have the kids make signs that can be posted to remind staff of these quick tips.
The average office worker uses 10,000 pieces of paper a year. You can cut that amount in half simply by always copying or printing on both sides of the paper. Set your copiers and printers to default to duplexing. When you assign papers, request that students write or print on both sides if their printer has a duplexing unit.
Make a “Paper Police” badge and regularly send students to the office to act as “paper police.” If they see that someone has forgotten one of the tips, they can remind that person to do it in the future. Students love to chide adults. Watch how quickly staff adapt to the new paperless office rules. You can find more ideas for how to reduce paper use by doing an online search of “paperless office” and by visiting www.reduce.org.
Dumpster Diving
Having older children do a waste audit allows them to understand exactly what goes into their school's garbage, and it also gets them to use a variety of mathematical concepts. You can find directions for a variety of different audits at www.recycleworks.org, but the essence of the project is to sort and weigh your school's garbage. The cafeteria and custodial staff will need to be aware of the project, and parental permission slips may need to be mailed home, too. The day of the audit, wet waste will need to be separated from dry waste. The dry waste is sorted, weighed, and identified as recyclable or nonrecyclable. You can combine a recycling effort with a reduction effort if your school doesn't have a recycling program yet. Still, reduction is the most important first step. What items found during the audit could be reduced or eliminated? Here are some tips for schools to reduce waste:
Buy products in bulk to cut back on packaging.
Buy durable products like refillable pens and rechargeable batteries instead of disposable ones.
Remove your school's name (or staff names) from junk mail lists.
Use reusable cutlery and trays in the cafeteria.
Have staff bring in reusable mugs for coffee.
What else can your students come up with after looking at the waste?
