Incorporate waste reduction into your curriculum! Curricula and grant funds are available as well as field trips and workshops.
Education and the Environment Iniative (EEI)
The Education and the Environment Initiative (EEI) curriculum teaches select K-12 California academic content standards in Science and History-Social Science, using the environment as a context for learning. This engaging curriculum is designed to increase environmental literacy, and help students become critical thinkers, informed decision makers, and leaders for the future.
SF Environment Lesson Plans and Activity Sheets
SF Environment has easy-to-use lesson plans and activities sheets available online. Topics range from packaging (reduce!) to compost (rot!). Check them out at https://sfenvironment.org/k-12
Do the Rot Thing: A Teacher’s Guide to Compost Activities
A collection of hands-on compost education activities which encourage student exploration and learning.
For a copy, please visit the StopWaste website at http://www.stopwaste.org.
East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse
A business devoted to reusing everyday items and materials for artistic and other means. This is a great resource for teachers, artists and anyone with a little creativity.
The East Bay Depot collects unwanted materials from businesses, manufacturers and individuals and makes them available to teachers, artists, community groups and the public for reuse. The Depot helps reduce waste by helping items that would ordinarily end up in the landfill to be reused.
The Depot hosts field trips, workshops and an annual “Trash to Treasure” art competition.
Visit their webpage on Teacher Resources.
East Bay Depot for Creative Re-Use 6713 San Pablo Avenue (at Folger, 2 blocks south of Ashby) Oakland, CA 94608 Telephone: (510) 547-6470 Fax: (510) 655-6536
Hours: Monday-Friday: 11am – 6pm Saturday/Sunday: 10am – 5pm Closed most holidays
Looking for some fun facts? Need more information on how to compost? Then check out the many books, videos and other resources at our local West County libraries. Both the City of Richmond and Contra Costa County libraries have tons of books on garbage, recycling and composting. Check ’em out!
Educational Videos
Additionally, teachers may wish show a video tour of the RecycleMore facility and other educational videos found here.
Otherwise, an abundance of free recycling curriculums can be found online. Create your next lesson plan using one of the following resources:
Dem-Con’s Green Grades Videos by this Minnesota landfill company show how various components of residential and industrial waste are processed at the landfill so that they can be recycled into new materials. Lessons and activities are broken down into grades K-2, 3-5, and 6+.
Ranger Rick Educator’s Guides The National Wildlife Federation puts out monthly classroom guides for educators to use to teach from the children’s magazine Ranger Rick. Topics range from wildlife and habitat to trash and pollution.
Can Manufacturers Institute Three separate curricula for grades 4-6, 6-9 and 9-12 that emphasize the importance of recycling and environmentally responsible behavior.
I Want to Be Recycled Educational game and fact sheets for grades 6-12 highlighting economic resource value and strategy of collecting and sorting recyclables.
United States Environmental Protection AgencyA vast array of lesson plans, games, quizzes, videos, projects, activities and community service ideas.
California Education and the Environment Initiative (EEI)More than 80 science and history-social science units that highlight environmental relationships and encourage critical thinking.
Teacher Vision Green activities, articles, slideshows and more, organized by grade level.
Education WorldThis site offers links to more than 40 recycling activities and resources for various grade levels.
National Education AssociationEarth Day-themed lessons, projects, activities and games for grades K-5, 6-8 and 9-12.
Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc. and JASON Learning Posters, lesson plans and web-based experiences about recycling for grades K-4, 5-8 and 9-12.
Recycling Simplified Educational recycling videos, infographic posters and lesson plans for grades 1-5 and 6-12.
The Greens The Greens is a website for kids with games and activities on sustainability and green living. Recommended grades 9-12.
