Beyond Recycling
Created by: Bonnie Monteleone
Outline: Beyond Recycling
• Beyond recycling
• Landfills
• Life Cycle
• Recycling of Commodities
• Product Stewardship
• Packaging design
• Larger Dilemma
• Sustainability
Outline: Teaching Forward
• Why STEM is a perfect platform for Sustainability?
• Teaching Forward
• Curriculum Example
• Curriculum Resources
• Inspiration
• Change Maker
Question:
Where do you think your stuff will be? 1._____________________________ 2._____________________________ 3._____________________________
Question:
Where do you want your stuff to be? 1._____________________________ 2._____________________________ 3._____________________________
Vision:
If we cannot envision the world as we would like to live in, we cannot work towards its creation. If we cannot place ourselves in it in our imagination, we will not believe it is possible.
Chellis Glendinning, author of My Name is Chellis and I'm in Recovery from Western Civilization
Travis County
Creative Commons https://www.flickr.com/photos/johnymutton/7315266200
VISION FOR TRAVIS COUNTY Travis County’s vision for the county is one of an open, diverse community where all people are safe and healthy and can fulfill their hopes and dreams; where people enjoy a good quality of life and natural and cultural resources are protected for us and the future generations.
Definition of Sustainability:
Development that meets the needs of current generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, 2013)
© naturepl.com / David Fleetham /
WWF
Americans throw away about 6,750 blue whales worth of garbage every single day. (Environmental Protection Agency MSW Factsheet 2012)
Management of
Materials
• 1½ lb. per person a day of material is recovered
• 3 lbs. per person a day is landfilled.
• Energy recovery is the incineration of trash to power facilities such as cement plants.
Environmental Protection Agency Municipal Solid Waste Fact Sheet http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/2012_msw_fs.pdf
Where does all of
our garbage go?
Copyright © King County, WA
Material Recovery
• Packaging makes up 30% of Municipal Solid Waste
• In 2012 75 million tons was generated
Recycling Types
Not all Recycling is Equal
Traditional recycling Upcycling Full circle-recycling
Sustainable
Packaging
What are plastics?
Polyethylene Terephthalate #1
High-density Polyethylene #2
Poly Vinyl Chloride #3
Low-Density Polyethylene #4
Polypropylene #5 Polystyrene #6 Mixed Plastics #7
What do the symbols on plastics mean? By Brian Clark Howard recovered from http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/green-living/recycling-symbols-plastics-460321#slide-1
Material Recyclability
https://www.flickr.com/photos/landotter/
http://www.sarthakahuja.com/2013/09/being-your-plastic-bag.html
Plastic Life Cycle
Larger Dilemma
Children on the beach of the Versova Creek in India. The plastic unearthed is probably from the garbage dumped upstream along Malad Creek.
Photo: Ravi Khemka
National Treasure Trashed
May 24th 2014 • 1,312 lbs. of trash
• 191,739 plastic fragments
• 562 bottle or container caps
• 93 toothbrushes
• 64 beverage bottles
• 48 hagfish traps
• 35 buoys and floats
• 3 refrigerator doors
• 3 G.I. Joe Real American Hero Toys
Ka’ehu Beach in Waiehu
Sharkastics.org
Ocean and Human Health
• 24,000 tons of plastic is ingested by fish.
• Plastic releases noxious chemicals that harm aquatic animals
• Diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) contained in some plastics, is a toxic carcinogen
Sustainability and
STEM A Natural approach for Sustainability Education
Question:
What makes sustainability important?
1. _____________________________
2. _____________________________
3. _____________________________
4. _____________________________
Teaching Forward:
Problems cannot be solved at the same level of awareness that created them. - Albert Einstein
Curriculum Example
Lesson 2: Trash Traits
• Examination of Density and Buoyancy
• One Handout
• Extensions available
• Opportunity to go further with use of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) website.
• http://marinedebris.noaa.gov
Curriculum Resources
1. Buy, Use, Toss? A closer look at the Things We Buy. An interdisciplinary Curriculum Recommend for Grades 9-12.
• Facing the Future: Global Sustainability Curriculum & Teacher PD Http://www.facingthefuture.org/
Curriculum Resources Cont.
2. Bigger Than the Bin: Focus on the Recycling Industry
Activities and lesson plans for grades 1-12
• The Jason Project a partnership with National Geographic and Sea Research Foundation.
http://www.jason.org/
Inspiration
1. Sharing big ideas on how things can be better
2. Sharing the work with others
3. Taking action
Inspiration:
““Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”
Mahatma Gandhi
Webinar Resources
Books
• Chasing Molecules, Grossman
• Shopping our way to Safety, Szasz
Websites
• http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/education/index.htm
• http://www.plasticdisclosure.org/
• http://www.earth911.com/tech/shrimp-bioplastic-promising-approach-plastic-recycling/
• http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/posters
• http://www.unep.org/regionalseas/marinelitter/
Webinar Resources Cont.
Articles and Journals
• http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/15/business/energy-environment/raising-awareness-of-plastic-waste.html?_r=1&
• http://www.epa.gov/solidwaste/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/ghg/folder.htm
• http://www.epa.gov/solidwaste/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/ghg/folder.htm
• http://www.globalstewards.org/quotes.htm#instruments
• http://www.teachengineering.org/view_activity.php?url=collection/cub_/activities/cub_enveng/cub_enveng_lesson05_activity2.xml#intro
• http://www.theinternational.org/articles/353-trashed-can-we-stop-global-waste-before
• http://www.theinternational.org/articles/353-trashed-can-we-stop-global-waste-before
Thank you.
Shaun Auckland Masters of Sustainability:
Texas State University
Conservation Coordinator Sr.
Travis County
Dr. Gwen Hustvedt Gwendolyn Hustvedt, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Presidential
Fellow
Graduate Advisor for Sustainability
Studies
http://www.txstate.edu/rising-
stars/hustvedt.html