1. We Know about the 3 R’s. What about the 3 E’s?
VRA Conference 2017

2. Teaching Waste Disposal Methods Including the 3 R’s
Waste Reduction
Reuse
Recycling
Littering
Composting
Incineration
Landfilling

3. The 3 E’s Engage! Encourage! Empower!
There’s really a 4th E: Entertain!

4. Engage Keeping the students engaged in the program
Providing opportunities for students to share information
Giving students activities in which to participate
Keeping your energy level up
Challenges
Using age appropriate terminology and activities
Fulfilling Standards of Learning expectations

5. Activity Natural Resources – M&Ms
Supplies: Enough M&Ms for students to have a small cup of candy
Round clear container to hold candy
Put enough M&Ms in the clear container to fill a few small cups.
Discuss with the class that the M&Ms represent all the resources that the earth has for us to use.
Green – plants and trees
Yellow – sun
Blue – water
Red – animals
Brown – soil
Orange – rocks and minerals
The air in the clear container - air
While you are filling up cups for the parents and teachers, have students name the resources and why they are important. After supplying the adults with “resources” students see that there aren’t many resources left. We discuss the fact that if parents use all the resources then they will not have enough to go around Ask students to provide solutions to this problem. Discuss replenishing the resources and using them wisely. Give examples of this while adding more M&Ms to the container, then serve the students.   

6. Examples of Engaging Students decide what things can be recycled
Give students simple ways to participate
Modeling items made from reused materials
Sorting recyclables
Let students simulate the process
Making an aluminum can
How paper is recycled
Recycling plastic

10. Activity

11. Encourage and Empower Demonstrate how simple it is to recycle
Show examples of how to collect recyclables at home
Explain to students how important it is to share in the responsibility so parents will be more apt to participate in a recycling program

13. Entertain Don’t be afraid to show some emotion.
Keep the session fun, upbeat and exciting.
Don’t expect an Oscar, an Emmy, or a Golden Globe but you will be a strong candidate for the teacher’s People’s Choice Award.

14. Montgomery Regional Solid Waste Authority
Teresa Sweeney, Education and Training Coordinator

15. Central Virginia Waste Management Authority
Nancy Drumheller, Public Affairs Manager, CVWMA ,

16. Recycling and your Watershed
Participants will play the game and compete – win prizes.
Corn Hole Game
Designed to connect users (all ages). Change questions based on age(s) of participants.
Subject matter- watersheds, recycling, litter, HHW water quality, etc.
Meets VA SOLs (can be a post activity too)
Easy to expand your reach
Let’s play!

17. Activity
Play the corn hole game

18. Coloring Your Watershed
Henrico County
Like to color?
Want to address hard subject matter? Stormwater.
What is MS4 (and what it is doing in my watershed?)
Adults and high school students.
How else could this resource be used?
Align with Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEE)- research water quality issues, hands on activities, reflection with sixth graders.
Critical thinking
Make PSAs about impacts to water quality and need for behavior changes (middle and high school students)

19. Reading, Recycling, and R3
Bookmarks for local public library branches and school libraries. Be a guest reader. Tie into Read Across America,
National Library Week or America Recycles Day.
Use puppet for story times at library branches, Prekindergarten classes, Head Start programs, child care venues
Storytelling, write a story or poem, provide book display with environmental education books.

20. Sort the Recyclables Ice breaker Motor skill activity (sorting)
Graphing activity
STEM activity
Trash Sculptures
Field Day Programs
Summer Camps
Chick-fil-a Family Night Craft
Hanover TV99 interns- video
Session Activity: Make a video
on your phone.
Session participants will so the sorting game from Dollar Tree or we could have them make video on cell phone and share--

21. Activity Do the recycling sort activity (Dollar Tree)
If time, make short video clip on cell phone. Post to Facebook.

22. Journey to the MRF Have a local mascot? Local performer?
Want to take a virtual field trip
of a MRF?

23. Questions?