24: From Trash to Treasure
"To leave the world better than you found it, sometimes you have to pick up other people's trash." -Bill Nye Many people say that one man's trash is another man's treasure. The shirt, toy, or old furniture that we deem dispensable to us may be invaluable to others. I must admit, it's easier to throw away things and to replace them with something new, but the shift in perspective on how we view trash is crucial to saving our planet. According to this article from the Washington Post: "The world generates at least 3.5 million tons of solid waste a day, 10 times the amount a century ago, according to World Bank researchers. If nothing is done, that figure will grow to 11 million tons by the end of the century, the researchers estimate." That's a lot of trash. As the kindergarteners shift their focus for this unit and move toward using what they've learned to take action, we've shifted our mindset as a class in our use of materials. U