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We want to give you the tools to live a more conscious life with ease, especially right now. A prize from our partner Klean Kanteen could be yours. Just post on Instagram about your participation in #TGClassroom. Check @TurningGreenOrg for details!
Overview
“We don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly.” – Anne Marie Bonneau, Zero Waste Chef
What is right before your eyes, in your hands, around your space? How much of what you see has been created by humans? How much will be obsolete by tomorrow? By next week? Next year? A generation from now?
We tend to think that the lifecycle of things begins when we make a purchase and ends when we “throw away” any given item, but that could not be further from the truth. Stuff – “matter,” if we’re being scientific – never goes away. It may decompose or be turned into something else, but more likely than not, your stuff is destined to sit in landfills or waterways forever, harming our atmosphere and planet ad infinitum.
Globally, each individual produces an average of 0.74 to 4.53 kilograms (or 1.6 to 10 pounds) of solid waste per day. And each year, a massive 2.12 billion tons of waste is produced worldwide. If all of this waste were packed onto trucks, it would stretch around the circumference of Earth an unfathomable 24 times! And those numbers only continue to rise annually.
So how can you start reducing your waste consumption right now?
Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. We’ve heard these words since childhood, ringing truer than ever today. And there are a few important “Rs” to add the mix:
REFUSE. As the Plastic Pollution Coalition reminds us, “Plastic is a substance the earth cannot digest. Refuse single use plastic.” It’s important to think about refusing first, before recycling. By cutting down the amount of waste we produce, we then reduce the production of stuff that burdens our environment.
RETHINK. Consider what you can do differently to cut down on waste. 5 Gyres shares a simple shopping guide that demonstrates how we can live with less plastic thanks to sustainable alternatives.
ROT. Make it a priority to keep food waste and other biodegradable materials out of landfills entirely by starting to compost! This is a valuable resource, certainly not waste! Watch this video on how to start your own compost.
REPURPOSE: Reflect on your common waste products – many things can be given new life after their original use!
A low waste lifestyle is not only very doable, but also far more cost effective in the long term. Buying in bulk, exploring DIY (do it yourself), upcycling options, and purchasing direct from farmers and ranchers are all choices that help to minimize/divert waste, lower ecological footprints and save money. Win-win-win!
Check out this list of farmers markets, so when the time is right, you and your family can start shopping locally.
THINK
Think about the full lifecycle of a single-use product. How was it created? How did it end up in your hands? How will you dispose of it? The answers to these questions all have serious implications for people and planet.
ACTIVITY
Watch the Story of Stuff, a brilliant short film made by environmental leader and Director of Greenpeace, Annie Leonard.
- Share three things that you learned from this video.
- What is one change that you (and your family) can commit to starting today as a result?
- Share a link to Story of Stuff on a social media platform and caption it with the change you commit to making. Tag @TurningGreenOrg and use #TGClassroom
DELIVERABLES
Upload your answers and your commitment as a PDF document using the upload button. Post on a social media platform (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc.). Tag @TurningGreenOrg and use #TGClassroom.
Submission Guidelines
- If you do not see an upload button, you need to log in
- Submit all entries as PDFs; no Word or Pages documents
- Be sure to include all content for your submission in one document
- Do not include # or spaces in filenames
- You will see a confirmation in green that your submission uploaded correctly; if you do not see this confirmation, please try again
- Send any questions to classroom@turninggreen.org
Don’t forget to post about the challenge and your learnings/doings on social media and tag us on Facebook @TurningGreen, on Twitter @TurningGreenOrg, and on Instagram @TurningGreenOrg and use #TGClassroom.
THINK
As landfills are often hidden from view, it’s all too easy to overlook the amount of waste that we, human beings, produce and the negative impacts on our shared planet. Check out this video to illustrate that point.
ACTIVITY
Have you ever wondered how much waste you and your family actually produce? Well, you’re about to find out! There is no shame in this process; think of it as a quick and high impact learning experience! To start, monitor and collect all of the waste that you and your friends/family/roommates accumulate in one day in one trash can. Make sure to begin the day with an empty receptacle. If you don’t have one already, collect food waste for the day in a separate bucket.
- Take a photo of everything accumulated at the end of the day, separated into recyclables, non-recyclables and food waste/compost. Check out your local guidelines for recycling to make sure you properly sort items.
- Think about your individual and collective waste footprint. You can even trace your foot and arrange the waste you collected inside to show your “footprint” — or another creative depiction of this idea. If you do, be sure to include a photo in your upload as well!
- Now, consider reusable options. Pick two specific items that you found in your trashcan and tell us how you could avoid creating that waste in the future by using reusable alternatives. Search online to find the zero waste essentials that you would choose to enable you to live a low waste lifestyle. (Think bottles, cups, utensils, bags, any and all!)
- Post the image of your total waste on social media with a caption about what you did and what you learned. Tag @TurningGreenOrg and use hashtag #TGClassroom.
DELIVERABLES
Upload your image of your total waste and what you learned as a PDF document using the upload button. Post the image of your total waste on social media with a caption about what you did and what you learned. Tag @TurningGreenOrg and use hashtag #TGClassroom.
Submission Guidelines
- If you do not see an upload button, you need to log in
- Submit all entries as PDFs; no Word or Pages documents
- Be sure to include all content for your submission in one document
- Do not include # or spaces in filenames
- You will see a confirmation in green that your submission uploaded correctly; if you do not see this confirmation, please try again
- Send any questions to classroom@turninggreen.org
Don’t forget to post about the challenge and your learnings/doings on social media and tag us on Facebook @TurningGreen, on Twitter @TurningGreenOrg, and on Instagram @TurningGreenOrg and use #TGClassroom.
THINK
Most people assume that living life means producing a massive amount of waste. During a typical day, we may dispose of single-use plastic food wrappers, plastic bottles, straws, utensils, bags, product containers, packaging, tags, produce, leftover scraps, work papers, newspapers and much more – and do that again every single day! No part of this equation is sustainable, nor necessary.
ACTIVITY
Ask each member of your household or family to make a list of practices that produce waste in and around your home.
Next, gather to share findings and compare lists. Have a discussion to brainstorm solutions to these practices, striving for lower or zero waste options. Here are some questions to consider:
- What does a typical day of waste look like in your home right now?
- What would an ideal, low-waste home look like?
- What/who generated the most waste and why?
- Now, pick the five most common pieces of waste you use. Handwrite (on upcycled recycled paper, we hope!) a simple solution that includes the ideas your family discussed to eliminate or limit that waste in your home. Think of these notes as pledges to commit to these tactics, so you can get closer to zero waste goals!
- Take a photo of the handwritten reminder and post your solution list on social media. Be sure to tag @TurningGreenOrg and use #TGClassroom, so that we can see, share and cheer you on!
DELIVERABLES
Upload your written answers and your photo as a PDF document using the upload button. Post on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Tag @TurningGreenOrg and use #TGClassroom.
Submission Guidelines
- If you do not see an upload button, you need to log in
- Submit all entries as PDFs; no Word or Pages documents
- Be sure to include all content for your submission in one document
- Do not include # or spaces in filenames
- You will see a confirmation in green that your submission uploaded correctly; if you do not see this confirmation, please try again
- Send any questions to classroom@turninggreen.org
Don’t forget to post about the challenge and your learnings/doings on social media and tag us on Facebook @TurningGreen, on Twitter @TurningGreenOrg, and on Instagram @TurningGreenOrg and use #TGClassroom.