In the weeks before school started you could find 6th grade science teacher Russ Nelson placing ErgoCans around the school. These cans were paid for with a grant that he and 6th grade math teacher Brittany Shores secured through the Montgomery County Solid Waste District (MCSWD) for $4,500. The cans are made from 100% post-consumer materials.
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| Mr. Nelson and Mr. McNeal placing ErgoCans around the school this summer before classes began. |
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| Students using these ErgoCans are actually putting products into a
recycling stream that turns things like drink pouches, snack bags, and
foil-lined energy bar wrappers into messenger bags and backpacks. Each
item thrown away is worth between one to two cents. It may sound small,
but the money is starting to add up. So far they've converted trash into
$236.41 from waste they've sent in. |
This is the third year for the "Zero Waste Project," which actually
began when Russ and Brittany were interviewing to work at DRSS as an
integrated project idea that turned into a reality during STEMmersion.
That class was so successful that by partnering with Montgomery County,
Russ was able to begin teaching a new Sustainability enrichment course,
which he is teaching again for the second year in a row.
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| The students worked on this logo last year to kick off the Zero Waste Project here at DRSS. |
On Tuesday, September 1st, 2015, Russ' class went on one of their quarterly visits to the
MCSWD's Environmental Learning Center to take a tour led by Education Specialist Chris Hoffman. There, students were also able to see the tipping floor to learn about how their solid waste and recycling materials are processed.
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| Students get a look at the tipping floor from the balcony. |
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| Chris Hoffman, Education Specialist, explains the science behind how landfills work. |
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| Chris explains how the "Add It Up" simulator works, which allows visitors to plug in their water consumption per day and shows them how much water they use, as well as how they can reduce their consumption. |
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| Students play the "Sorting Game" where they compete to recycle the most acceptable recyclables and electronics. Students lose points for recycle dirty materials or putting them in the wrong bin as they take them off of the digital conveyor belt. |
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| Special thanks to Chris and the Montgomery County Solid Waste District for taking our students on the tour! |
Becoming a Zero Waste School is a monumental task, so Russ and Brittany plan to start up the student "Green Team" again this year soon. They're also looking for parents and partner volunteers to help assist with cleaning compost bins, cleaning receptacles, turning compost, revamping the website, and working with students to help accomplish other goals. They're also looking for a matching grant for the a new "earth tub," a fully-enclosed composting vessel which would allow them to greatly speed up the process. If you're interested in helping, please contact them at
russell.nelson@wright.edu or
brittany.shores@wright.edu.
Russ and Brittany would like to thank Chris Hoffman, Dan Graeter, and Barb Asberry at the Montgomery County Solid Waste District for partnering with them to become a pilot school for the Zero Waste program and hosting the students for quarterly visits, one of which they'll be taking next Tuesday.
Having already shared their lessons learned at a state-wide environmental sustainable materials conference in Dayton this past summer, they hope to begin to share their curriculum and experience with other schools in the area as well!
