The Future is Green: Local Schools & Environmental Education

Our area is rich with active and involved school districts. What are some ways local classrooms can take the lead on environmental education?

Planet Protectors is brought to you in partnership with the Stark Tuscarawas Wayne Recycling District

Our school buildings and classrooms are filled with hundreds of students, learning about math, science, & literature- and creating waste. Imagine the environmental impact it would have if schools were conscientious of their waste and proactive in their environmental education. Curious what that might look like?

Encouraging Environmental Education

• Classroom Recycling. It’s easy to start recycling paper, plastic, and cans in your classroom! Turning recyclables into crafts is a great way to reuse old materials.
• Reducing Food Waste or Composting. If your school is not equipped to compost on a larger scale, classrooms can compost uneaten snacks or remains of the teacher’s lunch with an air-tight classroom container.
• Classroom or School Garden. What better science lesson than cultivating and growing a garden with other classes and grades at your school?
• Aiming for Zero Waste at School Events. Scale back on packaging, use recyclable materials, and calculate exactly how much food you’ll need to eliminate waste.

Talk with your students’ teachers and principals about implementing some of these ideas in local classrooms, cafeterias, and science classes!

The Recycling District assures safe and sanitary disposal of solid waste for the residents of Stark, Tuscarawas, and Wayne Counties. Their goal is to reduce reusable or renewable wastes from entering landfills within the district. The Solid Waste District accomplish this through the development of residential and industrial programs that educate, promote, provide, implement, and improve recycling opportunities that will preserve landfill space now and into the future. Visit www.timetorecycle.org for more information.

Audrey Mattevi, Reporting