Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Project
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Project
Embedded Files
The Class
The Class
I took a course titled Community Immersion in which I studied the for-profit, non-profit, and government sectors of my local community through the lens of systems thinking. Throughout the class, we met many different people who play important roles in the community. Many of them related to the health and well being of the environment, which influenced my project.
The Beginning
The Beginning
As part of the class we visited the Rowan County landfill
As part of the class we visited the Rowan County landfill
We were able to see the immense amount of trash collected throughout the county
We were able to see the immense amount of trash collected throughout the county
The Vision
The Vision
Our class decided that, with systems thinking, we could reduce the amount of waste created at our school campus. Because we were a new school, any waste reductions we made through strategic improvement projects in the first year would scale as the school grew. We believed our impact could be significant in just over a few years.
We created a vision statement and project goal
We created a vision statement and project goal
Our Vision
Our Vision
Our Goal
Our Goal
We researched some of the best waste reduction methods and narrowed down which would work best for our school
We researched some of the best waste reduction methods and narrowed down which would work best for our school
We determined who our stakeholders were. We then surveyed them to determine their commitment and interest in our possible projects
We determined who our stakeholders were. We then surveyed them to determine their commitment and interest in our possible projects
Stakeholder Analysis
Stakeholder Analysis
Survey
Survey
Survey Results
Survey Results
We determined which projects had the greatest desirability with the lowest cost/effort to implement
We determined which projects had the greatest desirability with the lowest cost/effort to implement
Creating a Baseline
Creating a Baseline
To know if we met our goal, we had to determine a baseline for the amount of trash created daily. After learning about sampling processes, we decided to sort and weigh the trash twice a week for 10 weeks to create a baseline.
Day 1 of sorting trash
Day 1 of sorting trash
Landfill Pile
Landfill Pile
My Leadership Role
My Leadership Role
While most projects worked on acquiring tangible or physical items that would help reduce the amount of waste we generate as a school, my project was a bit different. My responsibility was to educate the school on low-waste alternatives to everyday landfill items, and most importantly to educate the school why reducing waste is important.
Infographic I made of negative effects from waste
Infographic I made of negative effects from waste
Preparing the Project
Preparing the Project
In order to educate others, I had to educate myself first. I conducted a 10-page document filled with various research on the negative effects of waste, how to reduce waste production, and alternatives to single-use products. The research was the primary part of the project and once I finally collected enough information I moved on to find a creative way to display and present it to others.
Note from my research.
Launching the Project
Launching the Project
On Valentine's Day, our class did the "big launch" of all our projects. Not only was my job to share my project, but most importantly I had to explain and educate the class on why we were doing this. I shared with them the causes of waste, effects, and ways they could reduce their production of it at school and in their personal lives.
The Final Outcome
The Final Outcome
At the end of the year my class again took measurements of the waste our school produced. Using similar sampling techniques to the baseline measurements, we found that we had reduced the amount of daily waste by 45% percent. The result of all the class' projects together allowed us to exceed our goal by 80%.
Life Skills
Life Skills
In carrying out my project I believe I developed as a compassionate citizen. Through my research I not only learned the effects mass waste production has on the earth but the way it fuels climate change and devastates communities. Some people are forced to live in utter filth due to the growing production of trash and the fact many places do not have the resources to safely dispose of it all. Not only has this project grown to be more compassionate to other people, but to the Earth.
I also had to be a creative problem solver throughout the project. My main concern was our class would end up putting extensive amounts of time and energy into our projects, and when came time to present them to the school people would disregard them. I had to come up with unique ways to present the information to the school. I had to make sure it was done in such a way that would resonate with people, and I had to make sure they truly understood the "why" behind all of this.
Lastly, I had to be a motivated student. I believe this is the graduate trait I most displayed throughout the project. The entire process from start to finish took much trial and error. There were many times I was overwhelmed with all the information I had yet to learn and I felt lost in the process. However I kept reminding myself of the reason why I was doing this research, and even though I struggled I was excited to learn more and educate others.
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