Educators! We hope you enjoy this activity with your class! We would love to see your class' creations from this activity! Send us a summary of what you did, including your school name and location, grade, subject, Twitter handle, number of students in your class as well as any pictures, then we would be happy to provide you with: • a downloadable certificate to share with your students • highlight your school’s achievement in our newsletter and on our social media Send submissions to Nick Kendrick, Engagement Manager at [email protected]. We will be accepting submissions until the end of the 2020 school year! Activity Overview This activity explores the problem of waste pollution and its solution through adopting a circular economic model. Students explore the issue of solid waste in the world, with a focus on plastics. Students explore biomimicry and how humans can take inspiration from the natural world to create sustainable products and systems. Students will investigate examples of companies that incorporate sustainable business practices and develop unique products from recycled plastics. As a culminating activity students will create a new product from recycled plastics. Learning Outcomes • Students will understand the concept, the environmental, and economic benefits of a circular economy • Students will have a heightened understanding of waste management EDUCATOR RESOURCE WASTE MANAGEMENT: WHAT IS A CIRCULAR ECONOMY? www.greenlearning.ca/circulareconomy • Students will understand the personal actions they can take to support a circular economy and reduce waste • Students will learn about the framework and model for designing, creating, and manufacturing products using recycled materials • Students will develop creativity and STEAM skills as they design products from recycled materials Curriculum Connections Grade 4-12 Math Grade 4 • Show, describe and compare quantities to 10,000 • Add and subtract whole numbers with answers to 10,000 • Multiply 2- or 3-digit numbers by 1-digit numbers • Divide 2-digit numbers by 1-digit numbers • Relate decimals to fractions and fractions to decimals • Construct and interpret pictographs and bar graphs Grade 5 • Apply mental mathematics and estimation strategies • Solve problems involving whole numbers and decimals • Describe and compare fractions and decimals Grade 6 • Use graphs and tables to show number patterns and solve problems • Write and solve equations that represent problems or patterns • Classify, measure and draw angles and triangles • Use line graphs to present and interpret information • Collect and analyze data to graph and solve problems
Transcript
A circular economy works in a similar fashion, where raw materials and products are used and reused as many times as possible to reduce extraction of new raw materials. This also reduces the amount of waste going to landfill.
Ask Students:How can we learn from our natural ecosystems to reduce waste production?
Step 3: Introduce the idea of biomimicry to learn from natural ecosystems by watching the following videos• Biomimicry’s surprising lessons from nature’s engineers (Length: 22:58 minutes, suggested 2:00 - 6:15 minutes to learn how engineers solved a complex problem by observing the natural world) https://www.ted.com/talks/janine_benyus_biomim icry_s_surprising_lessons_from_nature_s_engineers• The world is poorly designed. But copying nature helps. (Length: 6 minutes) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMtXqTmfta0
Tell Students:Natural ecosystems work sustainably, without creating waste that needs to be disposed of in landfills. This is because the waste generated in one organism becomes food for another organism. In this way, the natural ecosystem provides an excellent example of a perfect circular economy, where there is no waste generated and everything gets recycled. In contrast to a linear economy, the natural world follows a circular economic model, where all materials flow within the system following a circular cycle of recycling and reusing materials.
Ask Students:Find things around you that can be designed sustainably using the circular economy model. Demonstrate how the items selected can be designed sustainably. At the end of the exercise, note down all the items identified to recognize the impact that can be accomplished.
Step 4: Share “What to do with Plastics?” with students to inspire creativity!Download What to do with plastics? from www.greenlearning.ca/circulareconomy.
Ask Students:Research examples of products made out of recycled plastics that have incorporated the concept of a circular economy by finding out the following and sharing with peers
1. How is the product made from the recycled materials?2. What is the product used for?3. Picture of the product?4. Bonus: environmental and social positive impact caused by the innovative product (e.g., litres of water saved, GHG emissions reduced, number of trees plants etc.)
Step 5: Ask students to create a product by completing the Make & Remake activity! Download Make & Remake Activity from www.greenlearning.ca/circulareconomy.
Step 6: Take a photo and share with us by tagging us @GreenLearning using the hashtag #dontwaste.
Educators! We hope you enjoy this activity with your class! We would love to see your class' creations from this activity! Send us a summary of what you did, including your school name and location, grade, subject, Twitter handle, number of students in your class as well as any pictures, then we would be happy to provide you with:
• a downloadable certificate to share with your students• highlight your school’s achievement in our newsletter and on our social media
Send submissions to Nick Kendrick, Engagement Manager at [email protected]. We will be accepting submissions until the end of the 2020 school year!
Activity OverviewThis activity explores the problem of waste pollution and its solution through adopting a circular economic model. Students explore the issue of solid waste in the world, with a focus on plastics. Students explore biomimicry and how humans can take inspiration from the natural world to create sustainable products and systems. Students will investigate examples of companies that incorporate sustainable business practices and develop unique products from recycled plastics. As a culminating activity students will create a new product from recycled plastics.
Learning Outcomes• Students will understand the concept, the environmental, and economic benefits of a circular economy• Students will have a heightened understanding of waste management
EDUCATORRESOURCEWASTE MANAGEMENT:WHAT IS A CIRCULAR ECONOMY?
www.greenlearning.ca/circulareconomy
Grade 7 • Add, subtract, multiply and divide decimals and use percent to solve problems • Understand the relationship between fractions and decimals, including repeating decimals • Use tables, graphs, equations and words to describe number patterns • Work with expressions and equations to solve problems Grade 8 • Use tables, graphs, equations and words to describe number patterns • Interpret graphs critically Grade 9 • Understand data collection techniques and biasesGrade 4 - Grade 9 Science Grade 4 - Grade 9 Career and Life Management (Alberta)Grade 4 - Grade 9 Social Studies (Alberta and Ontario)Grade 9 - 12 Business / Management & Marketing (Alberta and Ontario)
Step 1: Introduce the problem of waste pollution by showing the following short videos• www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6xlNyWPpB8• www.youtube.com/watch?v=UM8BMXCWwv4
Tell Students:Waste pollution is a global problem. According to a report by the World Bank, every year the world generates 0.74 kilograms of waste per capita. In 2016, the total global average municipal solid waste generated was 2.01 billion tonnes, which is expected to increase to 3.04 billion tonnes by 2050 if the world continues to operate in the same manner. Plastics made 12% of this total global waste in 2016, which is approximately 241 million tonnes.
Of the total global solid waste, only 19% is recovered through recycling and composting, which applies to plastics among other things. This means almost 80% of plastics are not recycled and end up in the
landfills; or worse, end up in streams, rivers and ultimately, our oceans. Resources Referenced: • The World Bank - What a Waste 2.0 : A Global Snapshot of Solid Waste Management to 2050 https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/ 10986/30317• https://www.theverge.com/2019/6/10/18659644/ canada-ban-single-use-plastics-bags-straws-2021
Ask Students: What are some examples of products that produce high amounts of waste because we discard them often? What are some of the environmental concerns with tons of waste produced?
Step 2: Introduce the concept of a circular economy by showing the following videos• www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCRKvDyyHmI• www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqgqiCL-JwU
Tell Students:If we look at our economy today, it largely follows a linear approach.
Linear Economy: Take Make Use Dispose
We take raw materials from the natural environment and make di�erent products. Once created, the products are then sold to consumers who use them for a certain period of time, and then the products are disposed of into the landfill. A landfill is a place for discarding all waste that has no use in our economy.
A linear economy works fine for a small community of consumers. On a global scale with billions of consumers becoming part of our economy, a linear system becomes unsustainable. We are running out of raw materials to create new products for everyone. Landfills are filling up with the massive increase in disposal of waste - products that are no longer in use. This is a challenge that requires changing the way we think of our economy today.
How can we design a better economic model that reduces waste going into landfills? We can take inspiration by observing our natural ecosystem to design a better system for our economy.
In the natural ecosystem, there is no waste generated that requires disposal to a landfill. Our natural ecosystem works in a circular system, where all raw materials go back to where they came from.
• Students will understand the personal actions they can take to support a circular economy and reduce waste • Students will learn about the framework and model for designing, creating, and manufacturing products using recycled materials• Students will develop creativity and STEAM skills as they design products from recycled materials
Curriculum ConnectionsGrade 4-12 Math Grade 4 • Show, describe and compare quantities to 10,000 • Add and subtract whole numbers with answers to 10,000 • Multiply 2- or 3-digit numbers by 1-digit numbers • Divide 2-digit numbers by 1-digit numbers • Relate decimals to fractions and fractions to decimals • Construct and interpret pictographs and bar graphs Grade 5 • Apply mental mathematics and estimation strategies • Solve problems involving whole numbers and decimals • Describe and compare fractions and decimals Grade 6 • Use graphs and tables to show number patterns and solve problems • Write and solve equations that represent problems or patterns • Classify, measure and draw angles and triangles • Use line graphs to present and interpret information • Collect and analyze data to graph and solve problems
A circular economy works in a similar fashion, where raw materials and products are used and reused as many times as possible to reduce extraction of new raw materials. This also reduces the amount of waste going to landfill.
Ask Students:How can we learn from our natural ecosystems to reduce waste production?
Step 3: Introduce the idea of biomimicry to learn from natural ecosystems by watching the following videos• Biomimicry’s surprising lessons from nature’s engineers (Length: 22:58 minutes, suggested 2:00 - 6:15 minutes to learn how engineers solved a complex problem by observing the natural world) https://www.ted.com/talks/janine_benyus_biomim icry_s_surprising_lessons_from_nature_s_engineers• The world is poorly designed. But copying nature helps. (Length: 6 minutes) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMtXqTmfta0
Tell Students:Natural ecosystems work sustainably, without creating waste that needs to be disposed of in landfills. This is because the waste generated in one organism becomes food for another organism. In this way, the natural ecosystem provides an excellent example of a perfect circular economy, where there is no waste generated and everything gets recycled. In contrast to a linear economy, the natural world follows a circular economic model, where all materials flow within the system following a circular cycle of recycling and reusing materials.
Ask Students:Find things around you that can be designed sustainably using the circular economy model. Demonstrate how the items selected can be designed sustainably. At the end of the exercise, note down all the items identified to recognize the impact that can be accomplished.
Step 4: Share “What to do with Plastics?” with students to inspire creativity!Download What to do with plastics? from www.greenlearning.ca/circulareconomy.
Ask Students:Research examples of products made out of recycled plastics that have incorporated the concept of a circular economy by finding out the following and sharing with peers
1. How is the product made from the recycled materials?2. What is the product used for?3. Picture of the product?4. Bonus: environmental and social positive impact caused by the innovative product (e.g., litres of water saved, GHG emissions reduced, number of trees plants etc.)
Step 5: Ask students to create a product by completing the Make & Remake activity! Download Make & Remake Activity from www.greenlearning.ca/circulareconomy.
Step 6: Take a photo and share with us by tagging us @GreenLearning using the hashtag #dontwaste.
Educators! We hope you enjoy this activity with your class! We would love to see your class' creations from this activity! Send us a summary of what you did, including your school name and location, grade, subject, Twitter handle, number of students in your class as well as any pictures, then we would be happy to provide you with:
• a downloadable certificate to share with your students• highlight your school’s achievement in our newsletter and on our social media
Send submissions to Nick Kendrick, Engagement Manager at [email protected]. We will be accepting submissions until the end of the 2020 school year!
Activity OverviewThis activity explores the problem of waste pollution and its solution through adopting a circular economic model. Students explore the issue of solid waste in the world, with a focus on plastics. Students explore biomimicry and how humans can take inspiration from the natural world to create sustainable products and systems. Students will investigate examples of companies that incorporate sustainable business practices and develop unique products from recycled plastics. As a culminating activity students will create a new product from recycled plastics.
Learning Outcomes• Students will understand the concept, the environmental, and economic benefits of a circular economy• Students will have a heightened understanding of waste management
Grade 7 • Add, subtract, multiply and divide decimals and use percent to solve problems • Understand the relationship between fractions and decimals, including repeating decimals • Use tables, graphs, equations and words to describe number patterns • Work with expressions and equations to solve problems Grade 8 • Use tables, graphs, equations and words to describe number patterns • Interpret graphs critically Grade 9 • Understand data collection techniques and biasesGrade 4 - Grade 9 Science Grade 4 - Grade 9 Career and Life Management (Alberta)Grade 4 - Grade 9 Social Studies (Alberta and Ontario)Grade 9 - 12 Business / Management & Marketing (Alberta and Ontario)
Step 1: Introduce the problem of waste pollution by showing the following short videos• www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6xlNyWPpB8• www.youtube.com/watch?v=UM8BMXCWwv4
Tell Students:Waste pollution is a global problem. According to a report by the World Bank, every year the world generates 0.74 kilograms of waste per capita. In 2016, the total global average municipal solid waste generated was 2.01 billion tonnes, which is expected to increase to 3.04 billion tonnes by 2050 if the world continues to operate in the same manner. Plastics made 12% of this total global waste in 2016, which is approximately 241 million tonnes.
Of the total global solid waste, only 19% is recovered through recycling and composting, which applies to plastics among other things. This means almost 80% of plastics are not recycled and end up in the
landfills; or worse, end up in streams, rivers and ultimately, our oceans. Resources Referenced: • The World Bank - What a Waste 2.0 : A Global Snapshot of Solid Waste Management to 2050 https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/ 10986/30317• https://www.theverge.com/2019/6/10/18659644/ canada-ban-single-use-plastics-bags-straws-2021
Ask Students: What are some examples of products that produce high amounts of waste because we discard them often? What are some of the environmental concerns with tons of waste produced?
Step 2: Introduce the concept of a circular economy by showing the following videos• www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCRKvDyyHmI• www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqgqiCL-JwU
Tell Students:If we look at our economy today, it largely follows a linear approach.
Linear Economy: Take Make Use Dispose
We take raw materials from the natural environment and make di�erent products. Once created, the products are then sold to consumers who use them for a certain period of time, and then the products are disposed of into the landfill. A landfill is a place for discarding all waste that has no use in our economy.
A linear economy works fine for a small community of consumers. On a global scale with billions of consumers becoming part of our economy, a linear system becomes unsustainable. We are running out of raw materials to create new products for everyone. Landfills are filling up with the massive increase in disposal of waste - products that are no longer in use. This is a challenge that requires changing the way we think of our economy today.
How can we design a better economic model that reduces waste going into landfills? We can take inspiration by observing our natural ecosystem to design a better system for our economy.
In the natural ecosystem, there is no waste generated that requires disposal to a landfill. Our natural ecosystem works in a circular system, where all raw materials go back to where they came from.
• Students will understand the personal actions they can take to support a circular economy and reduce waste • Students will learn about the framework and model for designing, creating, and manufacturing products using recycled materials• Students will develop creativity and STEAM skills as they design products from recycled materials
Curriculum ConnectionsGrade 4-12 Math Grade 4 • Show, describe and compare quantities to 10,000 • Add and subtract whole numbers with answers to 10,000 • Multiply 2- or 3-digit numbers by 1-digit numbers • Divide 2-digit numbers by 1-digit numbers • Relate decimals to fractions and fractions to decimals • Construct and interpret pictographs and bar graphs Grade 5 • Apply mental mathematics and estimation strategies • Solve problems involving whole numbers and decimals • Describe and compare fractions and decimals Grade 6 • Use graphs and tables to show number patterns and solve problems • Write and solve equations that represent problems or patterns • Classify, measure and draw angles and triangles • Use line graphs to present and interpret information • Collect and analyze data to graph and solve problems
www.greenlearning.ca/circulareconomy
A circular economy works in a similar fashion, where raw materials and products are used and reused as many times as possible to reduce extraction of new raw materials. This also reduces the amount of waste going to landfill.
Ask Students:How can we learn from our natural ecosystems to reduce waste production?
Step 3: Introduce the idea of biomimicry to learn from natural ecosystems by watching the following videos• Biomimicry’s surprising lessons from nature’s engineers (Length: 22:58 minutes, suggested 2:00 - 6:15 minutes to learn how engineers solved a complex problem by observing the natural world) https://www.ted.com/talks/janine_benyus_biomim icry_s_surprising_lessons_from_nature_s_engineers• The world is poorly designed. But copying nature helps. (Length: 6 minutes) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMtXqTmfta0
Tell Students:Natural ecosystems work sustainably, without creating waste that needs to be disposed of in landfills. This is because the waste generated in one organism becomes food for another organism. In this way, the natural ecosystem provides an excellent example of a perfect circular economy, where there is no waste generated and everything gets recycled. In contrast to a linear economy, the natural world follows a circular economic model, where all materials flow within the system following a circular cycle of recycling and reusing materials.
Ask Students:Find things around you that can be designed sustainably using the circular economy model. Demonstrate how the items selected can be designed sustainably. At the end of the exercise, note down all the items identified to recognize the impact that can be accomplished.
Step 4: Share “What to do with Plastics?” with students to inspire creativity!Download What to do with plastics? from www.greenlearning.ca/circulareconomy.
Ask Students:Research examples of products made out of recycled plastics that have incorporated the concept of a circular economy by finding out the following and sharing with peers
1. How is the product made from the recycled materials?2. What is the product used for?3. Picture of the product?4. Bonus: environmental and social positive impact caused by the innovative product (e.g., litres of water saved, GHG emissions reduced, number of trees plants etc.)
Step 5: Ask students to create a product by completing the Make & Remake activity! Download Make & Remake Activity from www.greenlearning.ca/circulareconomy.
Step 6: Take a photo and share with us by tagging us @GreenLearning using the hashtag #dontwaste.
Educators! We hope you enjoy this activity with your class! We would love to see your class' creations from this activity! Send us a summary of what you did, including your school name and location, grade, subject, Twitter handle, number of students in your class as well as any pictures, then we would be happy to provide you with:
• a downloadable certificate to share with your students• highlight your school’s achievement in our newsletter and on our social media
Send submissions to Nick Kendrick, Engagement Manager at [email protected]. We will be accepting submissions until the end of the 2020 school year!
Activity OverviewThis activity explores the problem of waste pollution and its solution through adopting a circular economic model. Students explore the issue of solid waste in the world, with a focus on plastics. Students explore biomimicry and how humans can take inspiration from the natural world to create sustainable products and systems. Students will investigate examples of companies that incorporate sustainable business practices and develop unique products from recycled plastics. As a culminating activity students will create a new product from recycled plastics.
Learning Outcomes• Students will understand the concept, the environmental, and economic benefits of a circular economy• Students will have a heightened understanding of waste management
Grade 7 • Add, subtract, multiply and divide decimals and use percent to solve problems • Understand the relationship between fractions and decimals, including repeating decimals • Use tables, graphs, equations and words to describe number patterns • Work with expressions and equations to solve problems Grade 8 • Use tables, graphs, equations and words to describe number patterns • Interpret graphs critically Grade 9 • Understand data collection techniques and biasesGrade 4 - Grade 9 Science Grade 4 - Grade 9 Career and Life Management (Alberta)Grade 4 - Grade 9 Social Studies (Alberta and Ontario)Grade 9 - 12 Business / Management & Marketing (Alberta and Ontario)
Step 1: Introduce the problem of waste pollution by showing the following short videos• www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6xlNyWPpB8• www.youtube.com/watch?v=UM8BMXCWwv4
Tell Students:Waste pollution is a global problem. According to a report by the World Bank, every year the world generates 0.74 kilograms of waste per capita. In 2016, the total global average municipal solid waste generated was 2.01 billion tonnes, which is expected to increase to 3.04 billion tonnes by 2050 if the world continues to operate in the same manner. Plastics made 12% of this total global waste in 2016, which is approximately 241 million tonnes.
Of the total global solid waste, only 19% is recovered through recycling and composting, which applies to plastics among other things. This means almost 80% of plastics are not recycled and end up in the
landfills; or worse, end up in streams, rivers and ultimately, our oceans. Resources Referenced: • The World Bank - What a Waste 2.0 : A Global Snapshot of Solid Waste Management to 2050 https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/ 10986/30317• https://www.theverge.com/2019/6/10/18659644/ canada-ban-single-use-plastics-bags-straws-2021
Ask Students: What are some examples of products that produce high amounts of waste because we discard them often? What are some of the environmental concerns with tons of waste produced?
Step 2: Introduce the concept of a circular economy by showing the following videos• www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCRKvDyyHmI• www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqgqiCL-JwU
Tell Students:If we look at our economy today, it largely follows a linear approach.
Linear Economy: Take Make Use Dispose
We take raw materials from the natural environment and make di�erent products. Once created, the products are then sold to consumers who use them for a certain period of time, and then the products are disposed of into the landfill. A landfill is a place for discarding all waste that has no use in our economy.
A linear economy works fine for a small community of consumers. On a global scale with billions of consumers becoming part of our economy, a linear system becomes unsustainable. We are running out of raw materials to create new products for everyone. Landfills are filling up with the massive increase in disposal of waste - products that are no longer in use. This is a challenge that requires changing the way we think of our economy today.
How can we design a better economic model that reduces waste going into landfills? We can take inspiration by observing our natural ecosystem to design a better system for our economy.
In the natural ecosystem, there is no waste generated that requires disposal to a landfill. Our natural ecosystem works in a circular system, where all raw materials go back to where they came from.
• Students will understand the personal actions they can take to support a circular economy and reduce waste • Students will learn about the framework and model for designing, creating, and manufacturing products using recycled materials• Students will develop creativity and STEAM skills as they design products from recycled materials
Curriculum ConnectionsGrade 4-12 Math Grade 4 • Show, describe and compare quantities to 10,000 • Add and subtract whole numbers with answers to 10,000 • Multiply 2- or 3-digit numbers by 1-digit numbers • Divide 2-digit numbers by 1-digit numbers • Relate decimals to fractions and fractions to decimals • Construct and interpret pictographs and bar graphs Grade 5 • Apply mental mathematics and estimation strategies • Solve problems involving whole numbers and decimals • Describe and compare fractions and decimals Grade 6 • Use graphs and tables to show number patterns and solve problems • Write and solve equations that represent problems or patterns • Classify, measure and draw angles and triangles • Use line graphs to present and interpret information • Collect and analyze data to graph and solve problems
