What is garbage? If you look up the word garbage up in a dictionary, you will find that it says something like “domestic rubbish or waste; something worthless or meaningless1”. Other commonly used words for garbage include trash, refuse, or waste. It’s the stuff that we throw away, right?
But wait a minute - our government has chosen the theme of “Too Good to Waste” for Waste Reduction Week, which happens all across Canada every year in October. They want Canadians to start thinking about garbage differently, and ask the question, “Is it garbage or is it resources?”
Do you know what a “resource” is? According to the dictionary, a resource is “a useful or valuable possession or quality of a country, organization or person”2. Wow – garbage might be a useful or valuable possession? That sounds strange, doesn’t it?
Every day, each person in Canada makes nearly 3 kilograms of garbage. Together, Canadians produce more than 31 million tonnes of garbage every year. That can be compared to putting 31 million cars in the garbage every year!3 We make more garbage per person than almost every other country on earth! All that garbage we make every year doesn’t just disappear when we put in in a bin. It is taken to landfills, dumps, and municipal incinerators, contributing to other environmental problems such as water and air pollution. Living sustainably means that before we throw something away, we consider whether the thing we are going to throw away could instead be something we save, reuse, or recycle. Whenever you, your classmates, and your family save materials from going to waste, it is good for the environment.
But how can waste be turned into resources?
First, we can reduce the amount of garbage we make. Before you buy something new, you can ask yourself these questions: Do I really need this? How will I dispose of this when I’m finished? Are there parts that I can recycle? Are there parts can I reuse?4 For example, you can choose a re-useable water bottle instead of buying bottled water, and can take re-useable shopping bags when you go to the store. Making small changes can make a big difference! What other things can you and your classmates do to reduce the amount of garbage you make?
We can also choose to reuse items rather than throwing them away. For example, you could reuse jars or containers for storage instead of throwing them away. You could also give toys or clothing that you don’t use any more to a charity shop, and you can buy things that you need there or at a garage sale. One person’s junk can be another person’s treasure!
Recycling is another way to turn waste into resources. For example, paper can be made into new paper, insulation, egg cartons and even kitty litter. Glass bottles and jars can be crushed and melted down to make new containers and construction materials for roads, driveways and sewers. Dirty oil from the family car can be recycled and used again. Food wastes can be composted and used as fertilizer to grow new things. Tin and steel can be retrieved from cans and used again to make new items, from refrigerators to cars.
Does your school have a recycling program? At home, talk to your parents about saying “no” to unwanted flyers and turning your kitchen waste into a resource by composting. Remember, the best thing we can do to cut down on waste is to make less of it in the first place!
Yes, our students and teachers are making a difference!
Students "Go-Green" with T-shirt bags at NESS MIDDLE SCHOOL
The grade 6 students at Ness Middle School are working on a "Go Green" unit of study in their Language Arts classes.
Re-using is one of the topics that we are covering. The students took a shirt that they no longer wear and turned it into a re-usable cloth bag. To learn more about this initiative, please contact Nancy Findlay. (April, 2010)
On October 16 Hedges students and staff participated in a fall clean up!
We cleaned the area behind our school, John Taylor and Buchanan, including Assiniboia West. Many heavy bags were turned in but the heaviest bag honour goes to three girls in grade 6. Thank you to everyone who participated and to Take Pride Winnipeg for supplying us with bags and gloves. To learn more about this initiative, please contact Megan Ottenbreit. (October 2009)
Litterless lunches education at several SJASD schools
A number of schools in our division were excited to host Mary Melnychuk of Resource Conservation Manitoba (RCM), who shared informative and entertaining information on litterless lunches. RCM is a non-profit, non-governmental centre for environmental education and applied sustainability.
Mary visited the Grade 4 & 5 classes at Strathmillan and Stevenson schools in April, and the Kindergarten to Grade 5 classes at Crestview school in March. Mary spoke with the students about how to bring a lunch that is good for them and for the planet. She reminded them that while eating a nutritious lunch is important for our health, do we consider how the garbage from our lunches affects the health of the Earth? In her discussion with the students, Mary reviewed a "regular" brown bag lunch in terms of amount of garbage created, and types of garbage produced. She then showed the students how they can make simple changes to create their own litterless lunch -- one that is healthy for them and the Earth!
All who attended Mary’s presentations agree that her presentations are interesting and engaging as well as being very useful in broadening the knowledge of both students and staff on this important topic. To learn more about this initiative, please contact a Principal of one of these participating schools. (2009)
We are excited about the Sustainable Living program being implemented throughout the school division. Its aim is to further SJASD’s principles and to challenge students and staff to explore activities and learn about conserving resources, protecting the environment and ensuring human health and welfare through education about the consequences of our actions and our responsibilities to each other and to the planet.
