GOING BEYOND THE
GREEN TEAM
S
chools are inspirational when it comes to recycling programs. We run Green Teams that compost and recycle better than many homes and workplaces. Student
teams are zealous in their collection of re- cycling and educators put in hours helping schools reach the highest level of Eco Schools. We teach our students good waste steward- ship and they, in turn, take these lessons home. The question many of us are asking now is how do we take our students beyond the act of good recycling and inspire them to be leaders in the fight against climate change? At my school, a group of students, who called themselves The Future did just that. The Future was different. The focus of this club wasn’t to collect recycling, but to inspire oth- ers to fight for what they believe in, to use their skills and voice to fight for their future. Two years ago, our custodian introduced
our school to the Terracycle program. Ter- racycle helps communities recycle non- recyclables. They turn pens, lids, trigger spray- ers and a variety of other packaging and waste products into park benches, Muskoka chairs, picnic tables and many more products for resale. Terracycle has provided more than $44,000,000 in funds for not-for-profit or- ganizations. This program turned our school
12 ETFO VOICE | SPRING 2021 BY MICHAELA KARGUS
into a drop-off point for plastic bottle caps, pens and markers, lids, Febreeze bottles and Lunchable containers. When boxes of these items were collected by Terracycle, the school was rewarded with points that translated into funds. The only problem was, we weren’t making any money. We needed to encourage our families to bring in the plastics they al- ready had in their homes. The environmental activism at Russell
Reid grew out of a data management proj- ect where students were tasked with gather- ing data that would help them improve the school and community. Ironically, students in my intermediate classroom were negli- gent participants in this program and even sloppy recyclers. I picked this project in the hopes that something would change, and they blew me away! By the time you reach Grades 7 and 8,
you have surveyed the entire school many times over. You know and have graphed the favourite chocolate bars, pop choices and movies in the school. This data management project required students to collect primary data related to our Terracycle program. Stu- dents conducted audits of recycling bins and garbage bins (lots of gloves!), developed and collected data from surveys and counted lids. They counted water bottles, tracked classes
participating in the program, and then they brainstormed ways to improve participation. The challenge was how to get kids and fami- lies to bring in more of their non-recyclable products. Students ran contests and created notices to go home. They made fancy collec- tion bins and began to raise awareness about the importance of diverting waste from our landfill. It was a media studies dream! No posters allowed, they had to get the attention of our community in new and creative ways. One group of Grade 8 students was in-
spired by the school strikes made famous by Greta Thunberg and chose to bring her spirit for action to Russell Reid. At the time, large rallies were making big news around the world. Youth were rising up and de- manding that governments take climate ac- tion seriously and protect their future. This Grade 8 group theorized that if people knew more about the effects of climate change on the planet, they would be likely to do more to help the planet. They decided to plan a Friday School Strike. They spoke to classes about their plan and did education on cli- mate change in classes around the school. They hosted sign-making parties at recess and got the kids in all grades involved in their actions. They emailed local govern- ment officials, including city councillors
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