Top R4R Picks
Individual Resources
- Your Ecological Footprint Survey
- Composting Resource
- What should I do with...?: Waste reduction tips for consumers
- GreenerChoices.org
- Wasting Less - A Consumers Guide
Non-Profit Resources
- Business Resource Kit
- Business Waste Audit
- Start a Recycling Program
- Enviro-Preferable Products
- Tools of Change
Resources for extending the learning
- Building a Vermicomposter (Elementary/Middle)
Elementary, Middle
- Debris Dilemma
Elementary, Middle
- Future History: Plastic Bottle Usage
Middle, Secondary
- Garbage
Elementary
- Judy Moody Saves the World
- Juice Boxes
Elementary
- Reducing, Reusing, and Recycling Classroom Waste
Elementary, Middle
- Reusable Bags (Secondary)
Secondary
- Sandy's Incredible Shrinking Footprint
- The Gardener
- The Greens: Activity Guide
Elementary
- The Story of Stuff
Middle, Secondary
- The Story of Stuff-Bottled Water
Middle, Secondary
- To recycle or not to recycle? That shouldn`t even be the question!
Secondary
Teachers! Why not involve your students in an important week-long campaign that promotes waste reduction by encouraging Canadians to reduce, reuse and recycle. Built on the theme, Too Good To Waste, this week-long campaign is intended to help us all better appreciate the richness and beauty of our planet and understand the role that waste reduction can play in solving many of our environmental problems.
Why Care about Waste Reduction?
- Across Canada it costs more than $1.5 billion per year to dispose of garbage
- There are well over 10,000 landfill sites in Canada.
- Landfill sites account for about 38% of Canada's total methane emissions
- A plastic bag will take approximately 400 years to break down in a landfill
- 70% of land-filled waste could be either reused or recycled
- 5 billion drink boxes are thrown away each year in North AmericaIn a lifetime, the average Canadian will throw away 600 x his or her adult weight in garbage.
- A 68 kg adult will leave a legacy of 40,825 kg of trash.
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By the age of 6 months the average Canadian has consumed the same quantity of resources as the average person in the developing world consumes in a lifetime.
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E-waste is the fastest growing source of waste in North America
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Only 11% of e-waste is recycled
- Most e-waste is shipped overseas or land-filled, where chemicals such as lead and mercury can leach into the groundwater and soil.
Resources 4 Rethinking encourages students and teachers to participate in Waste Reduction Week and offers the following suggestions to support this year’s theme.
For more information and activities be sure to check out the Waste Reduction Week in Canada website at http://www.wrwcanada.com/
