School Waste Reduction, Reuse, Recycling, and Composting

[via Northeast Recycling Council, Inc. (NERC)]

Successful implementation of waste reduction, reuse, recycling and composting in schools brings many rewards, including potential cost savings for tight school budgets.

NERC recently completed a school project to provide direct technical assistance and training in waste reduction, recycling, and composting to rural schools in Connecticut, New York, and Delaware. The project was funded by a United States Department of Agriculture Rural Utility Services Solid Waste Management Grant.

Case studies for the eight participating schools have been developed and posted on NERC’s Waste Reduction, Recycling, & Composting in Schools Webpage. Twelve Tip Sheets on school waste reduction, reuse, recycling, and composting, including Paper Use Reduction in Schools and School Cafeteria Waste Reduction are posted. Two PowerPoint presentations that can be used by schools, Rural School Recycling Success and Composting at School, as well as presentations from NERC’s two school Webinars, are also posted.

For more information on NERC’s school project, contact Athena Lee Bradley, Projects Manager.

Recycle-Bowl School Competition

[via Keep America Beautiful] The competition is open to all elementary, middle and high schools and individual classrooms. Public, private and charter schools are eligible.

Recycle-Bowl participants will track and report how much material they collect during the four-week competition time frame (mid-October through mid-November). School-wide competitions may compete for national prizes.

One school in each state (and Washington, D.C.), that collects the most recyclable material per capita, will win $1,000. A national champion will then be chosen from the top statewide winners to receive a grand prize of $2,500. Schools that host a community recycling drop-off program will compete in a separate category for first-, second- and third-place cash prizes.

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Recycle Bowl Documents:

• Outreach Samples
• Kickoff News Release

Back to School: Eco-friendly Education

[via Call2Recycle]

Students preparing to hit the books can now find supplies that are better for the planet. Here are just a few of the options available:

• Soy Crayons - made from a formulation of soy bean oil, these crayons are constructed with 100% renewable resources

• Paper Stationery - there are lots of options for recycled content notebooks, including these that promise a minimum of 20% post-consumer recycled content

• Biodegradable Pen - constructed from corn starch, the pen has the feel of regular plastic pens, except that it is biodegradable

• Sandwich Bags - send those school lunches off in this reusable sandwich wrapper that opens up to act like a placemat and is made with a food-safe liner that's BPA, lead and phthalate-free

• Scissors - these stainless steel scissors have recycled content in the plastic handles and are designed for both right and left hand users

• Adhesive Glue - enjoy the sweet smell of almonds while using this non-toxic, non-solvent, and acid free glue stick

Looking for more local, eco-friendly school supplies? Check out the Eco Easy selections at Staples. And since they're one of our retail partners, you can recycle your rechargeable batteries and cell phones there too!

2nd Great American Can RoundUp School Challenge

[Via the Can Manufacturers Institute] The Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) is pleased to extend an invitation to schools in Missouri to our 2nd Annual Great American Can Roundup School Challenge. CMI is awarding a $1,000 to school in each state recycling the most aluminum cans per student and an additional $5,000 to the top per capita recycling school nationwide. The contest period is from America Recycles Day (Nov. 15) to Earth Day (April 22) 2012.

Registration is required and is now open through December 15 at www.cancentral.com/roundup where schools also will find virtually everything they need for a successful Roundup. Have your schools reserve their spot today. It is a great win, win for the environment and fundraiser for the schools and a way schools can show their true green spirit and environmental leadership. Please help us spread the word.

Read the full announcement and more details regarding the contest here.

CURC Webinar Series

The CURC Webinar series is designed to share technical knowledge between program managers, student interns and others involved with promoting waste reduction on college campuses.

Scheduled for every other month, CURC webinars cover a range of topics related to sustainable materials management such as material collections and processing, education and promotion and procurement. Each webinar is 60 minutes to 90 minutes and involves prepared presentations from recognized collegiate recycling experts. All webinars are free to registered participants. You can also view past webinars in the webinar archive.

Upcoming webinar presentations:
TBD - Social Marketing and Behavior Change

Past Webinar Archive:
Click on the topic to view recent webinars presentation from this series.
September 2, 2010 - Recycling and Beyond: Towards a Zero Waste Campus
October 10, 2010 - Denver Workshop presentations
December 2, 2010 - Composting on College & University Campuses
February 3, 2011 - Residence Halls Move-Out Programs
April 7, 2011 - Equipment for Efficient Recycling Operations

NASA Gives Kids Their Own Guide to Climate Change

A blinking red-eyed tree frog and flitting butterfly greet visitors to the new NASA Climate Kids website. Targeting grades 4-6, this kid-friendly guide de-mystifies one of the most important science issues of our time. The site answers the "Big Questions" about global climate change using simple illustrations, humor, interactivity, and age-appropriate language. For example, one interactive feature is the Climate Time Machine, which reveals how global changes have affected or will affect our planet over time. "Climate Tales" has animal cartoon characters coping more or less good humouredly with the effects humans are having on their habitats. A collection of Earth-science-related games offers such experiences as "Wild Weather Adventure" and "Missions to Planet Earth." A Green Careers section profiles real people doing jobs that help slow climate change. Visit Climate Kids at climate.nasa.gov/kids.

Other NASA websites for kids:

• "Recycle THIS!" game
• Scijinks
• The Space Place

SciJinks Wallpapers Available

Looking for a new background for your desktop? Check out the great wallpapers available at SciJinks.gov today:

• Float around the world in the SciJinks weather research blimp.
• Go fly a kite on a beautiful, windy day.
• Admire the magnetosphere, Earth's protective force field.
• Solve the mystery of Stonehenge and the solstices.
• Know where the volcanic ash blows so you can go the other way.

Get your free wallpaper today at: http://scijinks.gov/wallpapers.

Free Recycling Resources Available!

Recently, the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) and Scholastic unveiled an updated version of their Recycling Starts with You! educational program. New materials include a mini-poster featuring standards-based math, science, and language arts lessons about paper recycling for third- through sixth-grade students.

Visit paperrecycles.org to view and/or download classroom resources including:

• A mini-poster to display above your recycling area or anywhere in the classroom
• New lessons and earlier versions of Scholastic materials
• Information on the AF&PA Recycling Awards, which can earn your school money and recognition
• Videos depicting the papermaking process in the classroom and the mill

Also available on the site are statistics, case studies of award-winning recycling programs, and a variety of interactive features highlighting paper recycling.

Visit paperrecycles.org today!

What's In Your Trash Bag?

This is a description of how to conduct a waste assessment at your school. Read through the overview page to get a brief picture of the process, then read the in-depth pages (Part 1 and Part 2) for a full explanation of how the assessment is executed.