*Use the form below to submit your answers to this activity or print and submit the activity attachment by PDF.*

Single-Use Plastics are bottles, containers, and tools that are made of plastic and that are typically only used once before being thrown away. 

Your task, as a Junior Conservator, is to go home tonight and count up the number of Single-Use Plastics in your home as an estimate. 

Check the following rooms in your home for Single-Use Plastics.

The kitchen (drinks, packages, disposable knives and forks) _________________

The bathroom (toothpaste, soaps, hair care products, cleaning products) _____________

The Bluebox Recycling (if accessible safely)__________________

1. Total of _______________________ Single Use Plastics
2. If My family reduced the use by 10%, it would mean ______ fewer Single-Use Plastics created.
3. I think these would be the hardest ones to give up

_________

_________

_________

Zero Waste: Food Prep Calendar

*Use the form below to submit your answers to this activity or print and submit the activity attachment by PDF.*

Reducing Food Waste is a great way to reduce your impact on the environment by preventing rotting food waste from creating methane gas in the landfill and reducing your carbon footprint through the  transportation of food. As a bonus, it also keeps more money in your pocket.

A great way to minimize food waste is by creating a meal prep calendar! 

Step 1: Check the Fridge

The Fridge usually has the foods that are most likely to spoil in a short time frame. We keep them cold to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria and to keep them crisp and fresh. Make a list of items that need to be used up within the next week.

Step 2: Check the Freezer

The Freezer is often full of food that over a period of 3-6 months, may not spoil, but will become less and less appealing due to freezer burn or discolouration. Make a list of items that you have on hand, put the items that need to be cooked soonest at the top.

Step 3: Check the Pantry

Pantry staples generally have a longer shelf life than perishables. They can often save you from buying more food than you need in the moment by utilizing them while they are freshest. Make a list of pantry items you have on hand and place the ones that need to be used up first at the top.

Meal plan

Once you’ve made your lists, it’s time to make a menu for the week. The idea is to use as many items up that you can from what you have on hand. Now you can make a grocery list for the remaining items you need. The trick is to only buy what you need! Buy only as much as you can prepare, consume, or share.

Activity Handout

Prior to this presentation, you did some investigating around your home to see how many single use plastic items you could find. Now we have some questions for you to reflect on from what we have discussed so far. 

Moving to Zero Waste: Reducing Reliance on Single-Use Plastics.

1. Do you feel it is important to try and reduce the  waste we create? Why or why not?

1. Were you surprised by the number of Single Use Plastic items you found in your home? Why or why not?

1. What room in your home did you discover the most amount of single use plastics?

1. What were the top 2 Single Use Plastic items you found the most of in your home?

a)

b)

1. Which one of these items do you think you could manage without, or replace with a reusable alternative?

THE CHALLENGE: Now, we want to challenge you to eliminate this item from your daily life for at least one week. For example, if you tallied up lots of water bottles – perhaps the challenge could be to switch to a reusable water bottle. Or if you threw out a lot of ziploc bags, trying to switch to a reusable alternative like a container or wax wraps. Once you have mastered this one item you can then slowly go through the list and try a reusable alternative for each item on your list. Then be sure to monitor your trash output to see your progress!

I _______________________(name) pledge to give up ______________________ (SUP item) for at least one week!

Student Name_______________________________ Date________

Zero Waste: Food Prep Calendar

*Use the form below to submit your answers to this activity or print and submit the activity attachment by PDF.*

Reducing Food Waste is a great way to reduce your impact on the environment by preventing rotting food waste from creating methane gas in the landfill and reducing your carbon footprint through the  transportation of food. As a bonus, it also keeps more money in your pocket.

A great way to minimize food waste is by creating a meal prep calendar! 

Step 1: Check the Fridge

The Fridge usually has the foods that are most likely to spoil in a short time frame. We keep them cold to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria and to keep them crisp and fresh. Make a list of items that need to be used up within the next week.

Step 2: Check the Freezer

The Freezer is often full of food that over a period of 3-6 months, may not spoil, but will become less and less appealing due to freezer burn or discolouration. Make a list of items that you have on hand, put the items that need to be cooked soonest at the top.

Step 3: Check the Pantry

Pantry staples generally have a longer shelf life than perishables. They can often save you from buying more food than you need in the moment by utilizing them while they are freshest. Make a list of pantry items you have on hand and place the ones that need to be used up first at the top.

Meal plan

Once you’ve made your lists, it’s time to make a menu for the week. The idea is to use as many items up that you can from what you have on hand. Now you can make a grocery list for the remaining items you need. The trick is to only buy what you need! Buy only as much as you can prepare, consume, or share.

*Use the form below to submit your answers to this activity or print and submit the activity attachment by PDF.*

Prior to this presentation, you did some investigating around your home to see how many single use plastic items you could find. Now we have some questions for you to reflect on from what we have discussed so far. 

Moving to Zero Waste: Reducing Reliance on Single-Use Plastics.

1. Do you feel it is important to try and reduce the waste we create? Why or why not?
2. Were you surprised by the number of Single-Use Plastic items you found in your home? Why or why not?
3. What room in your home did you discover the most amount of single-use plastics?
4. What were the top 2 Single-Use Plastic items you found the most of in your home?
5.  Which one of these items do you think you could manage without, or replace with a reusable alternative?

THE CHALLENGE: Now, we want to challenge you to eliminate this item from your daily life for at least one week. For example, if you tallied up lots of water bottles – perhaps the challenge could be to switch to a reusable water bottle. Or if you threw out a lot of Ziploc bags, trying to switch to a reusable alternative like a container or wax wraps. Once you have mastered this one item you can then slowly go through the list and try a reusable alternative for each item on your list. Then be sure to monitor your trash output to see your progress!

I _______________________(name) pledge to give up ______________________ (SUP item) for at least one week!

Student Name_______________________________ Date________

*Use the form below to submit your answers to this activity or print and submit the activity attachment by PDF.*

Single-Use Plastics are items such as pop/water bottles, take out containers, coffee cups, bags and cutlery that are made of plastic and typically used only once before being thrown away. 

Your task, as a Junior Conservator, is to go home tonight and count up the number of Single-Use Plastics in your home. We want you to grab a pen or pencil and head to the following rooms in your home to record your SIngle Use Plastics findings. We will use these numbers tomorrow during our presentation. On each line write the number of items you were able to find.

The kitchen (bottles, bags – grocery bags/produce bags, ziploc bags, plastic food wrap, packages, disposable knives and forks, take out containers, coffee cups etc.) _________________

The bathroom (floss, q tips, toothpaste tubes, soap bottles, hair care products, disposable razors, deodorant etc.) _____________

The Recycling Bin (if accessible safely)__________________

Compile your findings!

1. Total number of Single Use Plastics _______________________

1. If your household reduced the use of Single use plastics by 10%, that would mean ______ fewer Single-Use Plastics created.

1. What item did you find the most of? ____________________

1. What items would be the most difficult to eliminate? 

1. __________________ 
2. __________________ 
3. __________________ 

Food waste is not only bad for your wallet, but it’s also bad for the environment, when food rots and decomposes in garbage bags it creates more greenhouse gases than many other things. Also, all of the unnecessary transportation of the food that isn’t even eaten is also a significant cause of carbon emissions. 

Your task, as a Junior Conservator, is to go home tonight and answer these questions:. 

Does your community have a city-wide food waste bin?

Does your home have a compost bucket? Or compost heap?

What kind of food are you most likely to waste?  

Do you like cooking so that you know what’s in your food? 

What is your family’s Meal Plan or Meal Prep?

What do you think we can do to help prevent the waste of food?