Biotechnology/Biology students started out the new year conducting research on their own consumption rates. For a week long period, students retained all of their waste products and weighed and sorted them by category (plastic, paper, glass, compost, misc.) in class. They collected data on various types of waste and accounted for recyclable and non-recyclable items, which they then sorted for appropriate disposal/recycling. Students also read,
The Secret Lives of Everyday Things, by Durning and Ryan, and they presented up-to-date information on the topics in the book. And they watched segments of the video by National Geographic,
Human Footprint which chronicles the amount consumed by an average American in his/her lifetime. The next phase of the project is to analyze their own personal data and develop a public service announcement about consumption/conservation.
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| Students sorting and weighing their consumption. |
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| Overwhelming fastfood packaging. |
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| Sorting waste. Mostly plastic. |
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| Assessing consumption. |
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| Sorting and weighing. |
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| Happy plastic sorter. |
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| The sorting area in the classroom. |
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| Plastics and metals abound! |
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| The garbage and recycling haul form the week! |
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| The video watched to learn about startling statistics from an average American. |
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| The book that students used to present and update, based on current 2019 information for their Stuff Fridays presentations. |
