The 3 R’s of the Environment: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

The 3 R’s of the Environment:Reduce, Reuse, Recycle By Courtney Caley

Objectives • The students will understand what waste is and how it affects our environment. • The students will be able to discuss the meanings of reduce, reuse, and recycle. • They will also learn ways to apply the three R’s to their everyday life at school, at home, and in their community.

Essential Questions • What is waste? • How does waste effect our environment? • What does it mean to reduce? • What does it mean to reuse? • What does it mean to recycle? • What ways can we help our environment and reduce, reuse, and recycle?

Waste… • Is anything discarded, rejected, surplused, abandoned, or released into the environment in a manner that could harm our environment. • Also referred to as litter. • Waste uses up valuable natural resources and habitats for animals, as well as adequate means of disposal for landfills. • Also makes for an unhealthy environment for people and animals to live in.

Reduce… • Using less of something or making something smaller results in a smaller amount of waste. • Ex: buying in bulk, making smart packaging decisions, use durable items rather than disposable items

Reuse… • Reuse materials in their original form or pass down to a friend to reuse. • Ex: reuse cups instead of disposable ones, instead of replacing something when it breaks just repair it, donate items to a charity instead of throwing them away.

Recycle… • This is when you save and take reusable materials to places where they can be remade into the same product or into new products.

Things We Should Always Recycle… • Aluminum cans • Building materials • Cardboard • Electronic equipment • Glass (bottles and jars) • Magazines • Metal • Newspaper • Yard waste • Oil • Paper • Plastic bags • Plastic bottles • Steel cans • Tires • White goods (appliances) • Wood • Writing/copy paper

Activities • Start a compost pile at the school. • Add recycle bins in the classroom labled: - glass - plastic - paper - aluminum • Make a mural of a big blue sky and their ideas of what a better environment is and ways they will make it happen. • The students will use a computer to make their labels and get some pictures to add to the mural.

TEKS • b.1B – learn how to use and conserve resources and materials. • b.3A- make decisions using information b.3B- discuss and justify the merits of decisions; and b3C- explain a problem in his/her own words and identify a task and solution related to the problem. • Technology (10) Communication. The student formats digital information for appropriate and effective communication. (A) use font attributes, color, white space, and graphics to ensure that products are appropriate for the defined audience;

Websites • http://www.depweb.state.pa.us/justforkids/cwp/view.asp?a=3&q=464803&justforkidsNav • http://www.kidsforsavingearth.org/ • http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/recycle.htm

The 3 R’s of the Environment: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle