Opala Mensa Projects
The genius of recycling
is realized in its application. Below are project ideas to
take back to your school and classroom. Complete the project,
submit a project
completion form to the City and earn rewards for the participating
students. Teachers may mail, fax or email completed project
forms. Rewards will be sent to the teacher for distribution
to their participating students. Rewards include a recycled
duffle tote bag made of 100% plastic soda bottles containing
cool stuff -- freebie coupons, CD's, recycled products.
Select from the project
ideas below or propose your own project. Have students look
through the opala website for resources and data. Additional
assistance may be available from City or state recycling specialists,
depending upon your project (call us at 768-3200), and through
the Recycling Teaching Partner program.
Design a Recycling/Waste
Reduction Program for Your School
Select a special task force of students, teachers and staff.
Conduct a "waste
audit" of the stuff your school throws away. Based on your audit, target
materials to collect for recycling and brainstorm some new ways of doing things
that will reduce waste at its source. For example, you may find a lot of a
particular type of food thrown away in the cafeteria. A change in menu might
reduce that waste. Set up your recycling collection system. Implement your
waste prevention strategies. Involve students in creating signs and posters.
And educate the students and teachers throughout the school.
Become a Backyard
Composting Instructor
The City's Recycling Office will train interested high school students in the
techniques of small-scale home composting, with the goal of transforming the
student into a teacher. The training program will involve some classroom work,
a lot of hands-on composting activity and a period of student teaching alongside
the City's Recycling Specialist. Once the training program is completed, the
student can opt to continue as a teaching assistant, assume the role of the
lead teacher and/or conduct composting workshops at his/her school. These new
composting experts could also be instrumental in coordinating a composting
project on their school grounds, as described in the next project. Interested
high school students (grades 10 - 12) should discuss the training program with
a teacher in their school who is willing to support them in this project and
then contact the City's Recycling Office at 768-3200 to register for the program.
Implement a Back-of-the-School
Composting Project
School campuses can generate large volumes of yard trimmings, which can incur
significant disposal costs. Instead of tossing those yard trimmings into the
dumpster, a team of students and teachers working cooperatively with custodial
and grounds maintenance staff could set up a composting area at the back of
the school. Transform leaves, grass clippings and hedge and tree trimmings
into mulch and compost that can be put back onto the school grounds as soil
amendments.
Coordinate a Vermicomposting
Project
Learn how to use worms to compost organic material generated on campus and
set up a demonstration worm bin. The Oahu Worm Club encourages vermicomposting
(composting with worms) in schools. Mindy Jaffe of Waikiki Worm is available
to do classroom presentations and is currently seeking interested teachers
and principals. Please let her know if you would like more information or schedule
a presentation. Contact Mindy at waikikiworm@hawaii.rr.com or
382-0432.
Organize a Community
Awareness Campaign
Educate your community - your parents, your neighbors and your local businesses
- about the benefits of recycling and how they can participate. Partner with
your PTA, local community groups and grocery stores. Give presentations at
Neighborhood Board meetings. Create posters for display in libraries, public
buildings and shopping areas. Organize a trash-to-treasure fair.
Collect HI5 Containers
at Your School and Parks
Set up containers at your school and neighborhood parks (especially during
soccer and softball games and community events) for the collection of HI5 containers.
Money from the sale of the HI5 containers can provide funds for school projects
and needs. Click
here to to view photos of Kailua High School's successful HI5 recycling
fundraiser program.
Put on a Recycling
Play
Write your own. Create a stage adaptation of a book - The
Wartville Wizard, The Lorax. Oscar the Grouch and his "I Love Trash" song could stimulate
many possibilities. You might be interested in a play entitled "Mrs. Inahurry
and the Amazing Trash Converter" by Jim Farrell. It was performed as an
Earth Day play at Tryon Elementary School in Tryon, NC in 2001. Mrs. Inahurry,
as the name implies, is way too busy to think about recycling. As the play
opens she and her two children are hurling and dragging trash to the curb on
their way to running an impossible number of errands. Their neighbors are conscientious
recyclers and eventually take the opportunity to introduce the Inahurry family
to the benefits of recycling. The play runs approximately 15 minutes and includes
a song titled "Energy" which can be heard at http://www.container-recycling.org/kids.htm
Create Media to
Promote and Educate
Students have many talents they can apply to trash - write
songs, rap, recycling jokes, cartoon strips, "zines";
produce videos, PowerPoint presentations; and develop a plan
to publish, perform, air your work at school and maybe beyond.
The City will certainly help to popularize your media creations on our website
at www.opala.org.
