MS. REBECCA NEWBURN
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Picture

October is Zero Waste Challenge Month. Join us!

Zero Waste

TASK
Analyze where you create waste in your life and then devise a plan and implement it to reduce your waste.
Zero Waste Challenge
This month you will spend the first week analyzing where you generate waste, and coming up with some ideas about how to reduce the amount of waste. Use this link to guide you. However, you will share your documentation through Google Classroom.

Steps to going zero waste 
1.  Remember* why is going zero waste important
2.  Refuse  what you don't need 
3.  Reduce what you do need
4.  Reuse what you can
5.  Recycle
6.  Rot organic material, such as food waste, paper soiled with food and yard scraps
​
*Remember - Although you are doing this zero waste challenge as a class project, it is most helpful to have a motivation for going zero waste that is important to you. This will help you to refuse/reduce/reuse/recycle/rot. Define your "Remember" because having clarity about why you want to reduce waste will help you make buying decisions because there is so much excessive packaging and plastic. This clear motivation will make the decisions you make last beyond the month-long challenge. Here are some ideas of "Remembers."
- I love the ocean and the ocean is predicted to have more plastic then fish by weight. I'm not going to buy this.
- It took 300 million years to make the petroleum this material is made of, and I would only use it for (time) AND it will be on the planet for several hundred years after I use it. I'll find a plastic-free alternative.
- I care about my health and the health of other beings on the planet. I don't need this.
Make up something that works for you that serves as a touchstone.

Videos

Story of Stuff - Bottled Water - This informative video explains the issues with bottled water and plastic water bottles. Erica Priggen, she's the one who helped us with our seed saving slogans, is the Executive Producer of the film.
Interview with Wang Juliang - An interview with Chinese documentary filmmaker Wang Juliang, director of the documentary Beijing Besieged by Waste.* China is the world's largest recycler and imports about 60% of the recyclable plastics and e-waste (electronic waste) on the global market. Here is the trailer for Plastic China, a more recent documentary by Wang Julian about an 11 year old girl who longs to go to school and works a thousand miles from her mountain village and her boss who both long for a better life.
Midway - a Message from the Gyre a short film by photographer Chris Jordan. If you like Chris Jordan's work, you will find his TED talk insightful.
Zero Waste and Our Stuff - more than 40% of greenhouse gas emissions come from our stuff and food. Let's go zero waste and make a difference!
You Can Live Without Producing Trash - Lisa Ling interviews Lauren Singer from Trash is for Tossers

Interactive Map of Plastic

Click to find where that plastic ends up at Adrift.org.au.

Going Zero Waste & DIY Ideas

REDUCE YOUR PLASTIC by refusing to buy things wrapped in plastic is the first step. Here are some great do-it-yourself (DIY) ideas.

School & School Lunch

Get hot lunch? Bring your own utensils & cloth napkin
10 Tips for Packing a Zero Waste Lunch 
Plastic-Free Food - a family of 5 goes plastic free for 5 weeks; check out their graham cracker & Lara bars recipes!
DIY Bento Bag - Make your own bento bag for carrying your lunch or snacks
Two e-Books: Healthy Lunches and Snacks - great ideas for packing healthy, zero waste food for school (& the office)
What does a zero waste lunch look like?
Recipes (Found a great recipes? Let me know!)
  • Yogurt
  • Granola - there are dozens of recipes and mix it up and be creative
  • Bread

School & Office Supplies

How to make a recycled notebook

Self Care, Beauty & Clothing

Morning routine for a Zero Waste Day includes some bathing & beauty tips
Book
Earthly Bodies & Heavily Hair  - available at HMS Library

Websites
15 DIY Hair Products Every Girl Needs to Try
​
Zero Waste Home - Essential Multifunctionalities
Project 333 - invites you to dress with 33 items or less for 3 months; site include tips and inspiration
DIY Toothpaste recipe 1
DIY Toothpaste recipe 2 - lots more on the web
DIY Deodorant or just use baking soda with essential oils

Basic Shampoo Recipe
  • Equal parts of water & an unscented castile soap (like Dr. Bronners)
  • a few drops of essential oils
  • Optional: a few drops of olive oil, tea tree oil
Suggestion: Make in small batches until you find a recipe that works for you. 
You can also buy shampoo bars - not DIY, but plastic-free and they work great.
-

Home & Cleaning

DIY cleaning products - recipes & uses
Basic ingredients to clean most things:
  • distilled white vinegar - buy in a glass jar
  • baking soda
  • essential oils - tea tree, lavender & lemon
  • castille soap
  • small rags for clean up 
  • small rags instead of sponge (new one daily)

Zero Waste 30 Day Challenge
Here are 30 days of tips to inspire you
.

Zero Waste Gift Giving

  • Bake something (cookies, lemon bars, homemade granola, cashews toasted with rosemary!)
  • Make something - there are tons of DIY sites including some of the DIY body and household products on this site
  • Recycle a gift - my family passes on things that we love or things we don't use but feel that someone else would enjoy
  • Donate to a charity or non-profit in honor of someone
More Zero Waste Gift Ideas
Trash is for Tossers Gift Ideas
Zero Waste Holidays - Zero Waste Homes
Make gift bags from calendars - tutorial

Zero Waste Challenge: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Question: Do I need to bring my trash to school?
Answer: No. Take any trash you make at school or outside the home to your house. Keep it in a bag there. REMEMBER to make sure all items are free of food particles before storing. At the end of the challenge, you will upload a photo on your Zero Waste Challenge document.

Q: Do my parents need to do this too?
A: No. This is your challenge. However, it's great if the whole family does the challenge together.

Q: How do I know if it is compostable?
A: Food can be composted if your family has a green waste bin, worm bin or compost. Typically, many people don't compost meat, eggs or dairy products (ex. cheese) in home composters because these items attract rodents and tend to smell. However, they are compostable. If you have a green bin, put animal products there or make sure that they are buried in the compost so they don't attract pests.

Q: How do I know if it is recyclable or not?
A: 
Look for the label on plastic bottles. The triangle with the recycle symbol does NOT mean that you can recycle it! It is an indication of the materials that make up the object. Not all recycling services accept all numbers. They will be changing the symbol soon to a triangle without arrows to reduce consumer confusion. Some places only take a few the most common plastics, #1 & #2. Check your sanitation service to see what other plastics they accept. Here is Marin Sanitary (see p.6 -8) and Mill Valley Refuse list of accepted items. However, remember that plastics aren't really recyclable. At best they are downcycled and made into another product, but eventually they will be landfill or end up in the environment. Also, many companies will accept most plastics but then end up tossing much of it as they only have contracts for a few types of higher priced plastics.

Q: I'm a girl and I use menstrual pads that have plastic in the pads. Are there alternatives?
A: 
Yes. Organic cotton tampons that come wrapped in paper are a better alternative, but still create waste. There are also menstrual cups. These are simply washed out and reusable and last for years.

Student Generated Ideas for Next Year

  • Pick up trash and then make art out of it
  • Make a website displaying art and getting the word out!!!
  • Create a video about trash in communities/ocean (PSA)
  • Raise money to get reusable water bottles to give out for free
  • National Skip the Straw Day (join the kids who did that this year)
  • National Recycle Week
  • National Zero Waste Challenge Month - get others to join us
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  • Home
  • Science 6
    • 6th Grade Interactive Science Notebook
    • 6th Grade Units >
      • U1: Thermal Energy >
        • U1: Tiny House Project
        • U1: Support Thermal Energy
        • U1: Science at Home
      • U2: Weather >
        • U2: Air Masses Booklet Project
        • U2: Summative Weather Task
        • Water Catchment Project
      • U3: Climate Crisis >
        • U4: Climate Action Plan >
          • U4: Drawdown Movement Building
        • U3: Dissect a Disaster
        • Face Place Story Prezi
      • U4: Planting Seeds >
        • Seed Booklet
        • Seed PSAs & Tutorials
        • Plant Breeding Project >
          • Popcorn Breeding
          • Beefy Resilient Grex Bean
          • Evolutionary Wheat Breeding
    • Stewardship Opportunities
    • Claim-Evidence-Reason
    • 6th Grade Science Grading Policy
    • Accommodated Curriculum >
      • ISN Accommodations
      • Accommodated Labs
  • Science 7
    • 7th Grade Interactive Science Notebook
    • 7th Grade Units >
      • U1: Photosynthesis >
        • U1: Photsynthesis ELL
        • Unit 1: Photosynthesis Task
        • Soil PSA
      • U2: Ecosystems >
        • U2: Species Recovery Plan
        • U2: Bumper Sticker
        • U2: Infographics
        • U2: Prezi
      • U3: Geology >
        • U3: ELL Support
        • U3: Summative Task
      • U4: Water! >
        • U4: Water ELL & Support
        • Water-Wise Home Project
        • U4 Task: Water Purificiation
      • U5: Product Chemistry >
        • ELL Support U5: Product Chemistry
        • Unnatural Life Cycle
        • Local Currency Project
      • 7th Grade Science Grading Policy
    • Stewardship Opportunities
    • Claim-Evidence-Reason
    • Accommodated Curriculum
  • NSTA
  • Tech Support
  • U1: Plastic Solutions
    • Zero Waste Challenge
    • U1: Support for Plastic Solutions
    • Infographics
    • Plastic Solutions Project
  • Contact
  • Math 7
    • Tin Man Project
    • Test Retake Policy
    • Math 7 Assignments
    • Accommodated Curriculum >
      • Math 7 Accommodated Assignments
      • Math 7 Accommodated Projects
    • Math 7 Extensions Assignments >
      • Ch. 5 Extensions
      • Ch. 6 Extension
      • Ch. 7 Extension Assignments
      • Puzzle Investigations & Problems of the Month
    • Power Builder Resources
    • Math Songs
  • Sci Fri Songs
  • Science Fair Project
  • Algebra
    • Test Retake Policy
    • Math Boot Camp - Week 1
    • Math Boot Camp - Week 2
    • Problem of the Month