Teacher Workshop, April 2000

More Information About GEA-China GEA-China Updates Plans and Projects Accomplishments Introduction to China Founding Partners Founders Quotables Committee

Garbage Dump

All the teachers at the workshop were given homework each day. On the first day, they were given the task of collecting their own garbage for the next two days. Everyone received a large garbage bag for collecting their garbage plus a ziplock bag for food and other smelly items.

It is not as easy as it sounds to save all your garbage. The teachers left the break room one day without taking their garbage with them. Trainer Dick Jordan brought in the garbage can for everyone to retrieve their trash items. Suprisingly, and without much hestitation, the teachers added something from the garbage can into their own trash bag.

On the last day of the workshop, there was a garbage "dump". On tarps on the floor, there were labels for paper, plastic, glass, organics, aluminum, and other metals. Everyone divided up the contents of their trash bags into the categories on the floor. It is amazing to see the large piles of garbage in each category. Where does is all come from?! It was also interesting to see which categories are larger than the others. In the United States, the aluminum pile is quite large, but in this group, plastic won over aluminum.

The next task was to discuss alternatives for these piles. What can be recycled? What can be composted? Could some of these things be used again for other things? Did each item need to be used, and therefore thrown out? Or, perhaps we could do without so much.

Recycle - Reduce - Reuse

Trainers Tom Snyder, Patti Kennedy, and Dick Jordan show how to collect the garbage. All food scraps go in the clear ziplock bag, but liquids are not saved. All dry products go in the large garbage bag.
Teachers break during the day, but forget to take their garbase with them. Trainer Dick Jordan "helps" the teachers recover their garbage.
Tom, Patti, Dick, and Dean start the garbage dump by separating their own garbage into the separate piles.
Next, the teachers added their own garbage to the categories.
The piles grew steadily with each group generating much discussion and reflection.

Conference Highlights:

• Introduction
• Energy Survey
• Garbage Dump
• Web of Life
• Phases of the Moon
• School Posters
• Airplane Toss
• Marble Game