Rain Barrels and Trash Cans

Last week my daughter attended a STEM camp at Loyola University in Chicago.  Each day we stopped in the lobby of the Institute of Environmental Sustainability building, where we saw these rain barrels:

While it would be neat to make and decorate a rain barrel as a class, it might not be financially feasible, depending on your classroom budget and access to materials.  Another environmental awareness option could be trash cans.  In Missouri, the Department of Conservation offers the "No More Trash" Contest to encourage students to fight litter.  Classes decorate a thematic trash can and enter it in the contest.  Check out the 2016 winning classes here.  

I think a school building could also have a trash can decorating contest to encourage students to reduce, reuse, and recycle.  It could be held at the beginning of the school year, or in conjunction with Earth Day in April.  It could certainly be a Makerspace-friendly project, where students could repurpose materials to creatively decorate the trash cans.

At an elementary building where I taught, one of the 7 Habits Leadership Groups collected paper recycling from each classroom once a week as part of their environment project. Classes who recycled correctly were awarded student-made badges for their recycling bins.  It was a win-win situation for the students, teachers, and custodial staff.

What ideas do you have to promote environmental awareness with students?

Innovation Infographics

Last week my daughter attended a STEM camp at Loyola University in Chicago.  As we walked through the Lake Shore Campus, we found many signs that described the landscaping design.  I plan on sharing these examples with my students during Innovation Hour.  They are eye-friendly infographics that explain in clear language the thought process that went into an eco-friendly design.

As innovators, we want our work to begin with empathy.   Students need to understand the audience for whom they are designing, while also considering the impact on plants, animals, and the environment.

Reading these signs made me wonder what impact our decades-old school buildings have on the environment.  What steps could we take as a class to improve the environmental impact of the current building design?  Are we affecting plants, wildlife, or the air quality in our neighborhoods?  These questions would be great ones to pose and address as part of an environmental study PBL or as part of an independent study project.  It would also provide an opportunity to connect with community-based organizations that focus on environmental topics.

Have you found infographic examples that demonstrate empathy in the design process to share with your students?