CHEM 109 students will find all surveys for the “Leave it to the Worms” project on Canvas. Participation in this project is worth 10% of your course grade.
Resources
Caitlin’s Recipe for Homemade Oatmilk! plus more recipes coming soon
Restaurant Feedback – made by you! What local stores and restaurants make it easy to reduce trash? Check it out!! – not updated for quarantine times
Worms Eat My Garbage – how to start & maintain a worm bin
Santa Cruz Landfill & Recycling Facility
Worm Project Slide & Presentation
1. Individual slides – each slide one contains the notice, research, and action components.
BRAINSTORM IDEAS FOR A GROUP PROJECT. This could build on ideas brought up in the earlier worm forms, or it could be new. Go about your regular routine and keep an eye out for sources of waste that are inherent to our/your way of life. These are problems that require bigger solutions than just bringing your own coffee mug or containers when you go out to eat. Think along the lines of the difficult or impossible to replace waste items.
You’ll share these responses in smaller groups in discussion sections to come up with a cohesive idea for a larger group project to present in week 9 discussions. You may, of course, bring up problems in discussion in addition to what you submit in the form.
Consider 3 components:
1. NOTICE – As you gain awareness of the ease with which we throw things away, what an everyday issue you notice makes a big impact on the waste stream? Be specific!
2. RESEARCH – Get curious. Pose 3 questions related to the waste you noticed above, or any other sustainability related question. Include at least one chemistry-related questions such as (but not limited to) reactions for production or waste. You will research these questions separately and contribute to a group discussion. This part of the form will be just questions, no answers yet.
3. ACTION – How would you recommend decreasing the environmental impact of what you noticed? More research is needed, but you probably have some initial thoughts!
Student Feedback This week’s form is a survey to help us understand your interest in and capability to reduce your contribution to the waste stream by composting
Help a Friend! Everyone in the class came up with at least one trash item that they don’t know how to reduce or replace, but maybe you can help them. This week, separate forms are given for each section. You’ll find a list of trash items submitted by other students in your section. Choose one item for which you have a trash-free solution, including sharing a compostable alternative. Be brief but specific in your answers – for example, simply writing “don’t use it” is not going to be helpful!
Make Some Changes! Now that you’ve identified your trash and thought about how to reduce your waste, now it’s time to put it into action. Over the next week, make at least 2 regular changes to your routine or lifestyle to prevent unnecessary waste. These could be the some of the same actions from last week’s form, or different. Also…
Input on local establishments: Go to any kind of store or vendor – plan ahead to prevent waste or ask them to not include any disposable items. Were they helpful in helping you reduce your trash or were your attempts were thwarted (ex. you brought your own containers to the restaurant but weren’t permitted to use them)? If you’re unable to actually purchase something, that’s fine. Instead, you can observe the waste generated by other customers and talk to an employee about how that trash could be reduced (Ex. do you let people bring their own containers?).
Track Your Trash. Ideally, each of these are items are representative of your typical trash, rather than a one-time candy bar wrapper when you rarely eat candy bars! Keep a log (pictures or list) over the next week and notice representative items that…
(1) could easily be replaced with a non-disposable alternative or something you don’t need in the first place,
(2) you could replace or not use but it would be really hard for you, and
(3) you don’t think you could live without or otherwise don’t know how to reduce or replace.
Two restrictions
- Don’t lie! Ex. if you’ve been drinking only from re-usable water bottles for years, don’t say that you threw away a bottle of water and could easily replace it with the water bottle you already have!
- No illegal materials