“Does anyone know a law or regulation that you or your parents have to follow?” Some ideas may be speeding laws or littering. “Did you know that there are environmental laws and regulations to help the environment? Pennsylvania made recycling the law in July 1988. Pennsylvania is the largest state in the nation to require recycling. You have helped with recycling at home and at school. Look at the picture of the triangle loop of arrows that you see on containers” (S-K2-17-3_Recycling Arrow Picture.doc). “Each represents a part of the recycling process: collection, processing, and making recyclables into new products. This helps keep them out of landfills and reduces pollution.Recycling means taking materials from products you have finished using and making brand new products with them. Let’s make a list on the board of things we can recycle at home and at school.” Have students come up with ideas that they can recycle at home and school. Research Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection’s Web site for more information at http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/just_for_kids/13936.
“What does the word reduce mean?” Have students think of ways to reduce the amount of trash. Here are some possible answers:buy products in bulk or larger containers rather than multiple small containers; use a sponge rather than disposable towels; buy concentrates; buy fresh fruits and vegetables without packaging; avoid products with excessive packaging; repair, rather than replace, broken items; or donate unwanted materials to charity.
“Reuse means just what it sounds like: using something again rather than throwing it out. That usually means finding a new use, such as making a jelly jar into a drinking glass. What are some other items that can be reused?”
“Do you know where your trash goes?” Have students discuss this as a class.“Your trash is picked up by a collection truck and taken either to a landfill or a waste-to-energy incinerator. Currently, in the United States, about 26 percent of the waste generated is recycled or composted, 8 percent is burned at incinerators, and the remaining 66 percent is disposed of in landfills.” Show students the Landfill Picture (S-K2-17-3_Landfill Picture.doc). “A landfill isn’t just a pile of trash buried in the ground. Landfills are carefully designed to prevent waste from mixing with groundwater and to reduce odors. Most landfills have a thick plastic liner between the ground and the trash, and a layer of soil is added every day to cover up the trash on top. Materials deposited in a landfill do not decompose quickly.”
“Keeping our planet clean and safe is everyone’s duty. If you make a habit of reducing, reusing, and recycling, you can make the world a better place. So, go for it! Protect our planet today and every day.”
Activity 1
“We also want to do more than just the three Rs. There are many laws and regulations to help protect the land, water, energy, air, and animals.”
“Water is one of Pennsylvania’s most precious and basic resources. Pennsylvanians use 14.3 billion gallons of water every day. Almost all of it—13.7 billion gallons—is returned to the environment. That means that each of us has a special responsibility to use water in ways that do not harm aquatic life and other water users downstream.”
“But we also must be concerned about water in other ways. What we do to the land, affects the health of our streams, lakes, and other bodies of water. In the news you may have heard about oil spills into our water. Oil is one of the most common pollutants in our water.” Discuss what pollution is and how it affects our natural resources. “When ducks and other waterfowl come in contact with oil floating on top of the water, their feathers become matted. Oily, matted feathers lose their ability to insulate. Because of this, the birds can die from the cold. Also, when the bird tries to clean the oil off of its feathers, it may swallow some of the oil which can lead to stomach ulcers. The only way to save the oil-covered birds is to scrub them with detergent, like you might scrub a greasy pan. But this is not a perfect solution. It is very expensive and takes a long time to clean birds.”
“In this activity you will try several ways to clean up an oil spill. These ways are similar to the ones used by clean-up crews in real-life spills. Although oil spills do not happen in all areas, it’s good to know how difficult it is to clean up.” Fill half of a large bowl with water. Measure ¼ cup of oil and pour it into the bowl of water. Shake the bowl to create waves. “Do the oil and water mix?” Now try to clean up the oil using a paper towel or cloth. Use a piece of string to make a border around the oil and try to drag the oil to one side of the bowl. Use a sponge to try to soak up the oil. Try to clean up the oil with each kind of detergent.
Activity 2
Explain to students, “The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) protects the air, land, and water. The DEP protects wildlife as well. In 2004, these agencies decided that together they could help a peregrine falcon in Harrisburg.” Show pictures and video of the Peregrine falcon available at http://www.dep.state.pa.us/DEP/FALCON/default.htm. Visit Carson’s Story at www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/falcon/nesting.html
Share Carson’s story with students:
“On December 16th 2004, an adult male peregrine was discovered injured along the rail line in Harrisburg. It turned out to be the Harrisburg male. His wing was badly injured and he would have to be taken to a wildlife rehabilitation center. In a rehabilitation center, the staff must care for injured and sick wildlife daily—feeding, medicating, exercising, and so on. The goal is to make wildlife strong and healthy again and release them back to the wild. Some wildlife cannot be released because their injuries are too severe. These birds are given names and often sent to zoos or other organizations that do wildlife education. The Harrisburg male was named Carson, in honor of Rachel Carson, the famedscientist, author, and environmental advocate for whom the Rachel Carson State Office Building was named.”
Additional information regarding Rachel Carson can be found at the DEP Web site, Keyword “falcon” and click under “The Rachel Carson Connection.”
“There are laws and regulations to help the environment. There are simple things we can do to recycle, reduce, and reuse. We are going to reuse old paper to make signs about recycling to help students and teachers recycle.” Some possible signs could show students what to recycle and where, and how to reduce and reuse things at school. Give students recycled material and about 20 minutes to create a poster with a partner or individually. Display signs around the school to educate classmates.
Extension:
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Students who might need an opportunity for additional learning can create posters that tell classmates about different endangered species. Find information about different species at http://www.epa.gov/espp/poster/
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Students who may be going beyond the standards can research animals that are on the endangered or extinct list. They can select one and report to the class.
