Litter & Waste

Here both schools record and exchange information of a more factual nature starting to allow comparison of similarities and differences.

Students are encouraged to make hypotheses about what the situation may be in their partner school which they could then revisit.

FIRST STAGE

Which global concepts are addressed here?

Sustainable development.

• Both schools agree that they wish to examine the issue of litter and waste within both their schools and wider community.

• As an initial activity both schools ask their students whether they think the same issues around litter and waste will be present in both schools? Do both schools produce the same amount of litter and waste and will it be in the same form?

• Both schools consider the importance of classifying different types of litter and waste and agree a policy written as a school code.

• Schools then undertake an initial walk - assessing the problems and recording them. Undertake an environment review.

• Each school then undertakes its own audit of litter and waste. Recording its findings in a variety of ways. Posters/pictures/bar graphs/questionnaires.

• Students discover what happens to their waste and litter.
   

SECOND STAGE

Which global concepts are now developed here?

Here both schools start to examine, explore and question the underlying problems behind litter and waste.

• Using the results produced by their audits, each school needs to examine what reasons lay behind litter and waste. Initially practical issues are raised. For example access to litter bins/ recycling etc.

• The UK school finds that the greatest % of litter within their school related to sweet and biscuit packaging. The teacher decides to develop their understanding of packaging by looking at different approaches to this which was picked up in a DT project. Here students look at what they considered was the most sustainable approach to their lunch boxes. Question why so much packaging is involved and is this a sensible use of resources. They find that very few students understood what happened to their litter and so pupils construct a why why chain showing the stages involved in disposal of different types of litter and waste. This chain is shared with their partner school.

• The Malawi schools find food waste and packing were their main source of litter. The pupils start to examine ways of addressing this and investigated composting within the school grounds.

• The differences between these forms of litter are shared and both group of pupils are encouraged to question why this may be the case. Is one community more sustainable than the other? Does one community use more resources than another? Is this fair & equitable?

• The two schools share in the photo activity their findings and asking questions. All Starfish schools share their findings online through Starfishers.

• See their worlds through their dustbin.

• Creative writing – write a story or poem about “ fitter without litter”.
   

THIRD STAGE

Which global concepts are integrated now?

This clearly illustrates the connection of issues to other concepts especially social justice through aspects of fairness

Here both schools started to investigate what impact litter and waste had on the environment and how this could be improved by individual actions and wider local and government interventons.

• Both schools decided to use the issue wheel as a framework for pupils to consider the wider political and economic consequences of their findings

• UK pupils started to realise that their consumption patterns could be improved to reduce waste and litter. They looked at ways that particularly paper could be reused within the school and set targets for paper consumption.

• Look at the eco stove/briquette as a possible solution to the environmental problem in both schools. A)Litter B) Firewood C) Deforestation D) Smoke Inhalation E) Literacy F) Habitat G) Climate – Co2 Emissions H) Microfinance

• Both schools looked at the eco stove/briquette as a possible solution to using waste more sustainably. With the UK school researching if any local communities now used recycled briquettes as an energy source.

• Both schools were particularly concerned at how waste was being dumped in other countries and students discussed ways that this could be prevented

• Celebrate findings. Keep in touch. Examine behaviour regularly.