Al the Can wants to see which school can round up the most cans-per-student between America Recycles Day (November 15) and Earth Day (April 22) for the big, $5,000 prize!School News You Can Use – November, 2017
HAPPY AMERICA RECYCLES DAY ON NOVEMBER 15!
Commons.Wikipedia.org
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
- 2018 Conference News – Call for Speakers!
- CLUB News – Kensington Elem T.O.L.D.; Welcome New & Renewing Members; Sarah says Yes to YES!
- Grant & SWIP News – USDA RD Town & Gown Grant
- In The News – 10 Year Old Launches Recycling Service; Ideas for ARD from KAB
- Contests, Scholarships & Fundraisers – KAB/CC Public Space Recycling Bin Grants Due by 11/17/17
- NHDES & EPA News – Don’t Throw Away Those Pumpkins!
- Activity – Tiny K Cup Planters; Thanksgiving Bingo & Coloring Page
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2018 CONFERENCE NEWS
Call for Conference Speakers!
It’s time!
We’re lining up our speakers and workshops for the Conference next May.
Does your school have an outstanding recycling program? Would you be interested in sharing it with other schools? We’d love to hear your ideas! For consideration, send us an abstract of your workshop presentation by 12/22/17.
For details on abstract submissions, click HERE.
Questions? Just call or email Gwen Erley at 603-736-4401 X19 or [email protected].
Conference Discounts Available Until 12/31/17!
Lock in at the 2017 rate by booking your group now!
Don’t Forget: Grants are available thanks to New Hampshire the Beautiful!
Register NOW for the 2018 NRRA School Recycling Conference on May 22, 2018. Discount applicable for all registrations received prior to 01/01/18.
Contact Gwen Erley or Sarah McGraw TODAY to schedule any of the above items. 603-736-4401 ext. 19 OR [email protected]
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CLUB NEWS
Kensington Elementary Hosts T.O.L.D. 10/5/17
Here are some pictures from that beautiful day:
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- NRRA Educator Sarah McGraw (far right) explains the purpose of Trash On the Lawn Day as KES students prepare to sort a sample of their school trash. (NRRA photo)
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- After sorting their trash, KES students consider how to reduce trash and increase recycling (NRRA photo)
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- KES student tries Ring Toss Game made out of recycled materials (NRRA photo)
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- KES students sort food waste that could be composted or used for animal feed (NRRA photo)
For the full Press Release, click HERE!
Brendon Burns, a reporter from Seacoast Online, attended the event and posted an article. For the whole article, click HERE.
Welcome New Member:
Shapleigh School
- Where: Kittery, ME
- Grades: 4-8
- Students: 400
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Welcome Renewing Members:
Boscawen Elementary School
- Where: Boscawen, NH
- Grades: K-5
- Students: 240
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Kenneth A. Brett School
- Where: Tamworth, NH
- Grades: K-8
- Students: 204
Travels with Sarah
Special Project Manager Sarah McGraw’s recent work in Somersworth, NH, has provided us with a great resource through the Somersworth Farm to School Coordinator, Wendy Berkeley, who has provided us with another nice article and pictures:
Let it Rain
At Somersworth High School, Mr. Shane Chick’s Building Trades students had some fun in the spring of 2017 putting their education to practical use once again, this time designing and building rain barrels out of industrial-sized olive containers. The use of rain barrels is a wise one; when we collect rain water, our gardens don’t suffer in times of drought, nor does our water bill! Big thanks to Shane Chick and Ed Olson on this wonderful collaboration. (Wendy Berkeley, Farm to School Coordinator)
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Sarah says Yes to YES!
The annual VT Youth Environment Summit (YES!) was held November 2, 2017 at the Barre Civic Center in Barre VT. The summit is organized through the University of Vermont Extension 4H programs. Over 200 enthusiastic students were present to attend workshops and visit exhibitors representing various environmental groups and organizations such as Central Vermont Solid Waste Management District with Worms Eat My Garbage, Main Street Middle School Students with Integrating Sustainability into Your Curriculum, and Ray Dube of Coca-Cola NNE with Take the Journey from Plastic to North Face, to name a few.
NRRA School Recycling CLUB’s Sarah McGraw presented one of its newest revamped workshops, Town and Gown: A Recycling Cooperative. This presentation is one of 14 workshops included in the 2017 USDA Rural Development/Rural Utility Service Solid Waste Management Grant Programs, Town and Gown: Breaking Down the Wall.
YES! gives middle and high school students a chance to learn about environmental topics and issues as well as network with other schools. Guest attendees included Lieutenant Governor David Zuckerman and Harrison Bushnell, senior at U-32 High School student representative on the Vermont Climate Action Commission.
During all of Sarah’s extensive travels, she listens to a lot of radio. She happened to 
hear this great broadcast and wanted to share it with our readers:
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If your school would like to schedule a free Star Assessment, contact Sarah before 12/31/17 at [email protected].
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GRANT & SWIP NEWS
USDA Town & Gown Grant Awarded to NRRA
NRRA is pleased to announce that we have been awarded another grant through 
USDA Rural Development to assist in building alliances between municipal transfer stations (NH), waste management districts (VT) and their associated schools. We will be searching for communities in select counties of NH and VT to receive free training in the coming months.
For the full Press Release, click HERE.
If you would like more information about grant participation please contact Gwen Erley at [email protected].
Teacher Resources Available for Purchase!
Classic K-12 Recycling Activities with 21st Century Standards
Thanks to grant funding through USDA-Rural Development, NRRA’s School Recycling CLUB is proud to offer the newest editions of their school curricula 3R’s of the Common Core: A Teacher’s Resource Guide to Solid Waste and Recycling and Teaching Toxics: Creating Solutions to Household Pollution. These references are divided into age appropriate lessons for K-3, 4-6, 7-8 and 9-12. Schools may select from hard copy or PDF versions.
In addition, four classroom workshop modules have been updated and are available in PDF versions only. They are:
- Garbage Guerrillas
- Back to the Earth
- Healthy Home/Clean Waters
- Waste = Global Climate Change
Anyone else interested in purchasing these resources should contact NRRA Programs Coordinator, Gwen Erley, at [email protected].
- For the Pricing Guide, click HERE.
- For the Terms of Use, click HERE.
- For the Curricula Descriptions, click HERE.
White River Alliance Solid Waste District School Outreach Continues for 2017-18 School Year
Workshops and Technical Assistance Available
Vermont – We are beginning our second round of outreach to schools in the White River Alliance Solid Waste District in Eastern/Central, VT.
Alliance communities include: Barnard, Bethel, Granville, Hancock, Pittsfield, Rochester, Royalton and Stockbridge.
School outreach consists of four workshops and two technical assistance trainings. These are being paid for by the Alliance so there is no cost to the schools.
For more information, please contact The CLUB at [email protected].
Rutland County SWAC SWIP Outreach Completed
Vermont – NRRA’s School Recycling CLUB has completed our school outreach efforts for the 2016-2017 School year on behalf of the Rutland County Solid Waste Alliance Communities (RCSWAC). We met with six Rutland County schools in early March. Our goal is to assist with Act 148, Universal Recycling compliance.
RCSWAC Member towns include: Benson, Chittenden, Fair Haven, Middletown Springs, Pawlet, Rutland Town, Shrewsbury, Sudbury, Tinmouth and West Haven.
Outreach will resume in the spring for the 2018 school year. School outreach consists of an NRRA Star Assessment and ANR School Recycling Scorecard. There is no cost to the schools thanks to RCSWAC funding.
For more information, please contact The CLUB at [email protected].
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IN THE NEWS
Amazing Kid!
From our Friends at Waste360
Boy Offers Recycling Services to Residents in Yellowknife, Canada
James Peggs launched The Recycling Guy after discovering a need for curbside recycling services.
Waste360 Staff | Oct 10, 2017
In 2015, James Peggs, a 10-year-old resident in Yellowknife, Canada, launched The Recycling Guy after discovering a need for curbside recycling services.
Since launching his business, James has worked hard to collect recyclables from residential clients and to sort and dump the materials into the appropriate bins at the community recycling bins.
James charges $10 a month for his services, and he currently has 27 regular customers.
CBC News has more information:
Every Saturday morning, 10-year-old James Peggs goes to work.
First, he puts on his gear: a bright orange construction vest, tailored by grandma; on it, a silver name tag engraved with his name; lastly, a white baseball cap embossed with a green recycling triangle.
Peggs then goes into the garage, grabs his wooden crate with winter wheels, and he begins to haul it up and down curbs, winding down streets, visiting his clients.
Need Ideas for America Recycles Day?
From our Friends at Keep America Beautiful
Dear Recycling Champions,
With three weeks to go until we celebrate America Recycles Day across the country, we want to be sure we are providing you with the best tools and resources to help with organize an America Recycles Day event and to conduct outreach to help promote it. For those of you that have not yet organized an event, we’ve created a “1-2-3 Step Guide” to walk you through the key steps of planning, registering and promoting your event. Within this guide we’ve compiled our favorite – and most effective – resources for your use, including:
- “I Want To Be Recycled” PSA ad templates
- Action: consider asking local media to run this ad (in donated space) the week of America Recycles Day
- Op-Ed Template
- Action: share with the editorial staff of your local media to help spread your voice
- Eye-Catching Infographic
- Action: share this infographic about what is recyclable in various rooms of the house with your network so they can see what materials can become once they are recycled.
As we approach the home stretch, I encourage you to contact us if you have any questions about America Recycles Day or need additional resources. You can check out the “1-2-3 Step Guide” here.
Happy planning!
– The Keep America Beautiful Recycling Team
Great Idea!
From our Friends at Waste Advantage Magazine
After Halloween, Turn Your Pumpkins to Gold’ in Prince George’s Co.
Prince George’s County (Maryland) officials want residents to have a green Halloween. For the 
third year in a row, the county will collect pumpkins after the trick-or-treating is over, and then turn those pumpkins into Leafgro Gold by composting them.
(For more pumpkin ideas, see GreenWorks article below under NHDES & EPA News!)
And the BioBased Winner Is …
From our Friends at Wasteadvantagemag.com
The winner of the Bio-Based Product of the Year (Americas) 2017 is Green Dot Bioplastics with their John Deere Eco-Rigs toys.
Who are the Winners of the Bio-Based Innovation Awards (Americas) 2017?
This week at the end of the first day of Bio-Based Live Americas in San Diego, the winners of the Bio-Based Innovation Awards (Americas) were announced.
From our friends at Waste360
Pittsburgh to Host First Garbage Olympics
Five East End neighborhoods will face off in a competition to see which neighborhood can pick up the most trash in two hours.
Waste360 Staff | Oct 13, 2017
This Saturday, the city of Pittsburgh is hosting its first-ever Pittsburgh Garbage Olympics, which will turn the task of picking up litter into a sport. For the event, five East End neighborhoods will face off in a competition to see which neighborhood can pick up the most trash in two hours.
The Clean Pittsburgh Commission will weigh the collected trash bags and determine the winning neighborhood.
90.5 WESA has more details:
The first Pittsburgh Garbage Olympics will turn picking up litter into a sport. On Saturday morning five East End neighborhoods will go head to head in the competition to see which can pick up the most trash.
Lena Andrews is an organizer and member of the neighborhood group East Liberty Trash Warriors.
“Everyone has between 9 and 11 to pick up as much trash as you can, and put it in a designated place, and at 11 you have to stop,” Andrews said.
From our Friends at Waste 360 Daily Wire
Operation Greenlid
West Virginia Solid Waste Authority Teams with Apple Valley Waste for School-based Recycling Challenge
Any Berkeley County public school, private school, classroom or school-based organization may participate in the challenge.
Waste360 Staff | Oct 02, 2017
The Berkeley County (W.Va.) Solid Waste Authority and Apple Valley Waste have teamed up to launch a voluntary, school-based recycling challenge called Operation Greenlid. Any Berkeley County public school, private school, classroom or school-based organization may participate in the challenge.
First place winner will receive $500, the second place winner will receive $300 and the third place winner will receive $200. All winners will be selected at the end of the school year.
Herald-Mail Media has more details:
The Berkeley County (W.Va.) Solid Waste Authority and Apple Valley Waste recently announced the launch of a school-based recycling challenge.
The challenge encourages voluntary participation in the “Operation Greenlid” recycling program.
Recycling & Environmental Game Links
In our internet travels, we have found several links to recycling and environmental games and activities that students might enjoy:
- Kids Recycling Zone: The Assoc. of Plastics Recycling: https://www.kidsrecyclingzone.com/
- EPA Planet Protectors: https://www.epa.gov/students/planet-protectors-activities-kids
- EPA Recycle City: https://www3.epa.gov/recyclecity/challenge/index.html
- Nico’s Quest to Recycle: https://www.saveonenergy.com/learning-center/kids-recycling-guide/
- Super Sorter: http://www.iwanttoberecycled.org/game?gclid=CjwKCAjw3rfOBRBJEiwAam-GsG1SBQnn2PKqNvrvrKzFvvlcQlUUAyN5iA03LAwI9w5zS4MvarSlxhoCS-0QAvD_BwE
- Recycle Roundup: http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/games/action/recycle-roundup-new/
From our Friends at NH Audubon
Photo by W. Dow, “It’s Hood to be Cool”
Wild NH Photo Contest Exhibit and Fundraiser
Through November 25
Massabesic Center, Auburn
Enjoy images of New Hampshire nature, as submitted to this year’s Wild NH photo contest. You can purchase these great works of art and help support NH.
Speaking of Audubon …
September 22, 2017
Connecticut Environmental Chapter Awarded
EPA Education Grant
Among Environmental Education Grants in 26 States
BOSTON – The National Audubon Society has been awarded a $91,000 Environmental Education Grant by the US Environmental Protection Agency to support its work in addressing a range of topics in classrooms to support schoolyard habitats. The grant given to the National Audubon Society in Greenwich was among 36 grants awarded nationally and three grants awarded in New England under the 2017 Environmental Education Grants Program.
“To solve environmental challenges in the future, young people need to understand the science behind our natural world,” said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. “Environmental education programs help children learn about the importance of clean air, water and land.”
For the entire Press Release, click HERE!
Speaking of Schoolyard Habitats …
From our Friends at National Wildlife Federation
Schoolyard Habitat Conserves Water and Helps Wildlife
It’s back-to-school season. School grounds can be turned into habitats that not only help birds and butterflies but are used as outdoor classrooms.
Be inspired by one teacher’s journey to creating a Schoolyard Habitat.
pixabay.com
Interested in a healthy home?
If you would like to host a workshop in your school, please consider The CLUB’s Healthy Home, Clean Waters Workshop. For more information, please contact [email protected].
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Contests, Scholarships & Fundraisers
From our Friends at Coca-Cola and Keep America Beautiful
Coca-Cola / Keep America Beautiful Public Space Recycling Bin Grant Program
We are thrilled to announce that we are now accepting applications online for the
Coca-Cola/KAB Public Space Recycling Bin Grant Program! Applications will be accepted now through Nov. 17, 2017.
Local governments, non-profit organizations, K-12 schools, colleges and universities and other community groups are invited to submit a proposal describing how they would use recycling bins provided by Keep America Beautiful to expand recycling opportunities in public spaces. The 2017 program is expected to award up to 3,000 recycling bins for locations such as streetscapes and playgrounds, athletic fields, fairs and festivals, and college campuses.
Keep America Beautiful will award the grants in December 2017, and make arrangements with suppliers to deliver recycling bins directly to the recipients in the first quarter of 2018.
Learn more and submit a proposal by visiting https://www.kab.org/coca-cola-recycling-grant.
– The Keep America Beautiful Recycling Team
From our Friends at Waste360
College in Nebraska Wins Recycling Competition
The team of students from Union College competed against 49 other schools to collect and recycle 7,657 empties throughout the month of April.
Waste360 Staff | Oct 25, 2017
Garnier announced that Union College students will receive a green 
garden made from recycled beauty and personal care products for their Lincoln, Neb., community.
These students are winners of Garnier’s national Rinse, Recycle, Repeat campaign, created in partnership with TerraCycle and DoSomething.org.
Launched in April 2017, the goal of Rinse, Recycle, Repeat was to educate America’s youth about the importance of recycling beauty and personal care empties in the bathroom and help Garnier and TerraCycle towards their goal of diverting 10 million beauty and personal care empties from landfills by the end of 2017. To date, approximately 9,604,885 pieces of personal care and beauty waste have been recycled since inception of the Garnier and TerraCycle recycling program in 2011.
For the entire article, click HERE!
How many aluminum cans can your school round up?
Al the Can wants to see which school can round up the most cans-per-student between America Recycles Day (November 15) and Earth Day (April 22) for the big, $5,000 prize!Schools (pre-K-12) that registered by April 28, 2017 are good to go!
For more information, go to: http://www.canroundup.com/the-challenge/schools/
Hosting school events or sports this fall? Consider a Can Cage!
The CLUB is offering an opportunity for school recycling clubs to not only preserve the environment by collecting cans, but also to receive revenue on a per pound basis for the cans they collect. The goal of the program is to increase school recycling funds while increasing aluminum can recycling. As part of the program, The CLUB will provide participating schools with a large aluminum collection cage that can be parked out doors for easy access.
Thanks to the generous sponsorship of NRRA, NRRA’s School Recycling CLUB and Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc., the Can Cages (2) are available for loan to member schools for FREE!!!
For more information CLICK HERE or contact Programs Coordinator, Gwen Erley at [email protected].
Don’t forget our RecycleMobile is available for events!
The RecycleMobile was developed to help make recycling at special events low-cost, highly visible and efficient. It is a simple to use, eye-catching recycling unit consisting of a fiberglass box with six collection holes (3 per side) that is attached to a 4′ by 6′ trailer and houses six – 32 gallon barrels. You will need a 1-7/8″ ball to tow the RecycleMobile.
The NRRA has three RecycleMobiles available for community groups and organizations to use to provide recycling. Please contact the NRRA by telephone at (603) 736-4401 or by e-mail at [email protected] for more information and scheduling details.
To reserve the RecycleMobile for your community’s event, download, complete and send in the RecycleMobile Reservation Form.
Other School Grant Opportunities
NWF Eco-Schools Newsletter:
eschoolnews.com
DonorsChoose.org: Can list on site up to 4 months
http://www.donorschoose.org/about
Helps classrooms and students in need
DoSomething.org: DoSomething.org offers many ways to earn scholarship money.
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NHDES & EPA NEWS
From our Friends at NH DES, October 2017
Don’t Throw Away Those Pumpkins!
When it comes to getting into the spirit of fall, there are few festive decorations that compare to the natural beauty of a bright orange pumpkin. Made by Mother Nature herself, these large orange fruits never fail to add fall flavor to your home’s exterior, whether you keep them au naturel, or let the kids carve them into Halloween Jack-o-Lanterns.
However, Jack-O-Lantern faces aren’t the only spooky thing about pumpkins. Each year, approximately 1.91 billion pounds of pumpkins are grown in the United States. Of this mass quantity of pumpkins, only one-fifth is processed for food, while the rest is used for fall decorations. Afterward, many of them are thrown out, and eventually make their way into landfills. Once in a landfill, the pumpkins contribute to the creation of methane, a harmful greenhouse gas with more than 20 times the warming effect of carbon dioxide (CO2), according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
However, don’t let these statistics scare you into passing up on your annual trip to the pumpkin patch. Luckily, there are many ways to repurpose your pumpkins after you use them as decorations. Here are a few ways to reuse your pumpkins that you are sure to fall in love with:
Make a pumpkin battery!
Turn your pumpkin into a science experiment (or a way to cut down on the electric bill) by making a pumpkin battery! All you need is one or two pumpkins, alligator clips, galvanized screws and copper wires. Using these materials, you can turn your pumpkin into a working battery in five simple steps.
Homemade pumpkin puree
Turn your pumpkin into an ingredient for a delicious fall dish by making pumpkin puree. After cutting your pumpkin down the middle and removing all of the guts and seeds, place it cut-side down in a baking dish with one cup of water. Once you bake your pumpkin in the oven for 90 minutes, scoop out the flesh and puree it in the food processor. Store the puree in an airtight container for up to several months – just in time to make that pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving!
DIY pumpkin planter
Pumpkin planters double as a festive fall decoration, and as a great garden fertilizer. Simply cut off the top of the pumpkin and remove all of the flesh, seeds and guts. Then, pack some soil into the pumpkin and plant your favorite annual. After leaving your beautiful planter on display for several days, plant your pumpkin planter into the ground—the pumpkin will eventually compost and will act as fertilizer for your plant.
Fertilizer, Feed and Compost
What do you do if your pumpkin is starting to look a little sad because it is starting to rot? Turn it into garden fertilizer! All you have to do is remove the seeds from your pumpkin, smash it or chop it up into pieces and then scatter these pieces throughout your garden. The pumpkin will eventually break down and provide your plants with a little TLC in the form of extra nutrients. Pumpkins also make great livestock feed. If you happen to develop a bit of a pumpkin horde in the fall, get to know your local farmer and arrange an annual rotten pumpkin donation. Better yet, get the whole community involved by staging a rotten pumpkin collection. You can also add it to your backyard compost or donate it to compost at your local farmers market.
Whether you turn your pumpkin into a battery, a delicious dish, or a garden fertilizer, you will see that pumpkins are an incredibly versatile fruit. Rather than throwing your pumpkin away once it starts to rot, try repurposing it into one of these neat ideas. You will feel good knowing that you will be keeping your pumpkins out of landfills, and that you will be getting your money’s worth out of your trip to the pumpkin patch.
Also from our Friends at NH DES, July 2017
Pop the Habit of Using Balloons with these Eco-Friendly Alternatives
When it comes to preparing for a celebration, one of the first things on most people’s to-do list is to head over to the party store and buy a colorful bouquet of helium balloons. While balloons may be a fun way to decorate and an easy way to entertain the little ones, they can have an incredibly harmful effect on wildlife and the environment.
The reason can be explained by simple physics: what goes up must come down. When balloons are released into the air – whether on purpose or by accident – they have to come down somewhere, polluting natural areas and harming wildlife. Animals such as birds and turtles often mistake balloons for food and even get entangled in balloon ribbons. From 2005 to 2016, Blue Ocean Society, an organization based out of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, found 6,025 pieces of balloon debris off of the New England coasts. While there are individuals and organizations on the clean-up end of the balloon debris problem such as Blue Ocean Society, it is possible for you to prevent this problem from the source.
Luckily, there are many balloon alternatives that will help make your summertime parties a little more festive. Here are a few eco-friendly crowd-pleasers that make great alternatives to balloons:
Bunting
Bunting is an easy way to brighten up any room or patio, and can be made using materials you have laying around the house. All you need is some fabric scraps cut into the shape of your choice, extra wide double fold bias tape, some fabric glue and voila, you have the ingredients for a beautiful, homemade bunting. Hang the bunting on walls, on tables, or across your fence – it is versatile and can be reused for any occasion.
Flowers
Trade the balloon bouquet for a flower bouquet, using flowers from your garden or from a local flower shop. Divide the flowers into mini bouquets and place them in canning jars. Arrange the canning jars around the rooms where your guests will be to add a little bit of cheeriness to every corner of the house. The flowers will be sure to add a pop of color to your party, and can make great party favors (that is, if you choose not to keep them for yourself).
Ribbon Dancers
While kids may love playing with balloons, ribbon dancers are a fun and interactive alternative that won’t fly away when children accidentally let go of them. You can make your own reusable ribbon dancers by cutting fabric into long strips and tying or gluing them to sticks.
Bubbles
Bubbles have nearly the same function as balloons, without the negative environmental impact: they are fun to watch float up into the sky, and are sure to provide a source of entertainment for children. They are also a great alternative to a ceremonial balloon release; instead of having participants release balloons into the air, they can blow bubbles. Bubble machines can also provide a great effect with even less effort.
Tissue Paper Pom-Poms
Looking for that same 3D burst of color as balloons? Look no further than tissue paper pom-poms. Dig into the bin where you keep all of your wrapping paper and grab some tissue paper for a fun craft to do with your kids. Tissue paper pom-poms are great table toppers, wall decorations, or ceiling-hangers, plus, they can be reused if you store them in a space where they won’t be compressed!
These balloon alternatives will make for colorful summer party decor that will give you peace of mind knowing that you helping to prevent plastic pollution. Looking to make even more of an impact? Join New Hampshire’s Blue Ocean Society for one of their monthly beach clean ups to help maintain the quality of New Hampshire’s pristine beaches.
EPA’s WasteWise encourages organizations and businesses to achieve sustainability in their practices and reduce select industrial wastes. WasteWise is part of EPA’s sustainable materials management efforts, which promote the use and reuse of materials more productively over their entire lifecycles.
To learn more, go to WasteWise Fact Sheet.
As part of EPA’s Food Recovery Challenge, organizations pledge to 
improve their sustainable food management practices and report their results. The FRC is part of EPA’s Sustainable Materials Management Program (SMM). SMM seeks to reduce the environmental impact of materials through their entire life cycle. This includes how they are extracted, manufactured, distributed, used, reused, recycled, and disposed.
To learn more, go to: EPA FRC
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ACTIVITY
Ever wonder what to do with those K Cups?
From our Friends at allfreeholidaycrafts.com
K Cup Succulent Pot
This image courtesy of carolynshomework.com
By: Carolyn Garris from carolynshomework.com
“I love coffee and I love my Keurig Coffee Machine but I feel so guilty about those darn plastic K Cups. Since it’s spring gardening time, I decided to recycle those little cups and use them as seed starters and succulent pots. Using recycled K Cups and recycled packing paper makes this project very earth friendly. Use them as budget friendly diy gift ideas!”
- Estimated Cost: Under $10
- Time to Complete: Under an hour
- Primary Technique: Green Crafting
- Holiday: Earth Day
Materials List
- Recycled K Cups
- Recycled Packing Paper
- String
Click here for free Earth Day craft
From our Friends at Crayola
Thanksgiving Bingo
Crayola offers free cards and instructions. For details, click HERE!
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Crayola also offers free coloring pages:
For more free Crayola coloring pages, click HERE.
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GREEN CALENDAR
11/15/17 – America Recycles Day – An initiative of Keep America Beautiful (KAB), America Recycles Day is the only nationally-recognized day dedicated to promoting and celebrating recycling in the U.S. For ideas, contact www.americarecyclesday.org.
03/18/18 – Global Recycling Day – The first celebration of its kind from the Bureau of International Recycling! For more information, visit: www.bir.org.
03/22/18 – World Water Day – To plan your event, visit www.unwater.org.
04/22/18 – Earth Day – To plan your event, see future newsletters and visit www.earthday.org.
04/27/18 – Arbor Day – To plan your event, visit www.arborday.org.
05/09/18 – Bike to School Day – To register your school event:
http://www.walkbiketoschool.org/
05/21/18 – NRRA’s 36th Annual Recycling Conference & Expo
05/22/18 – School CLUB’s 8th Annual School Recycling Conference (the Conference within the Conference); Registration assistance available for NH schools through NH the Beautiful.
06/05/18 – World Environment Day – To plan your event, visit www.unep.org.
06/08/18 – World Oceans Day – To plan your event, visit www.worldoceansday.org.
Wishing You All a
Safe and Happy Thanksgiving Holiday!
pixabay.com
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WHAT IS YOUR SCHOOL CLUB UP TO? The NRRA School Recycling CLUB always loves to hear what its members and other schools are doing to recycle and help the environment so we can share it through our newsletter. There are so many different things being done, and you are our best source of information about what is working in your school. It can be a new program, a long-term project that’s been proven over time, a field trip, etc. Always feel free to contact me or submit something and you may see it in the next School News You Can Use! – Gwen Erley, [email protected] 1-603-736-4401, Ext. 19