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Welcome to the Sustainability Lesson Clearinghouse

Here, you can find free sustainability lessons to use in your class and upload your own lessons to share. Be sure to rate the lessons you use and leave comments for your colleagues!

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Sustainability Lesson Clearinghouse

Green Packaging

Lesson Description:
  • Identify and describe how manufacturer’s action in regards to waste management can affect change and improve the environment.
  • Identify and describe the life cycle of consumer products.
  • Collect, record, organize, interpret and analyze data using a variety of graphic representations and draw logical conclusions.
  • Communicate their ideas in writing and inform readers about their actions to reduce waste.

Lesson Type:
  • Other

Sustainability Topic:
  • Waste Reduction

GEF Program Category:
  • Waste Reduction Challenge

Time Needed:
50 minutes
Standards Addressed:
Geography Standard 18: Understand global development and environmental issues.
  • Benchmark # 2: Know ways in which resources can be managed and why it is important to do so (e.g., conservation practices, recycling non-renewable resources).

Technology Standard 4: Understand the nature of technological design.
  • Benchmark # 5: Know constraints that must be considered when designing a solution to a problem (e.g., cost materials, safety, scientific laws, environmental impact, time, space, etc).

Technology Standard 6: Understand the nature and uses of different forms of technology.
  • Benchmark # 6: Know that manufacturing processes include designing the product, gathering natural and/or synthetic resources, and final production.

Science Standard 12: Understand the nature of scientific inquiry.
  • Benchmark # 3: Plans and conducts simple investigations.

Economics Standard 2: Understand characteristics of different economic systems, institutions and economic advantages.
  • Benchmark # 4: Know households (i.e., individuals or family units), as consumers, buy goods and services from businesses.

Language Arts Standard 1: Use the general skills and strategies of the writing process.
  • Benchmark # 12: Write letters.

Language Arts Standard 8: Use listening and speaking strategies for different purposes.
  • Benchmark # 3: Respond to questions and comments (e.g., gives reasons in support of opinions).

Materials Needed:
  • "Sample Data Collection Worksheet" provided below
  • "Data Collection Worksheet" provided below
  • Pencils
  • Empty Plastic Drink Bottle
  • Brown paper lunch bags full of trash (one per work group)

School or Group:
Green Education Foundation (GEF)
Contact Email:
service@greeneducationfoundation.org
Lesson Documents:
application/pdf Green Packaging.Lesson.pdf
Lesson Documents:
application/pdf what-are-we-wasting.pdf

The Sustainability Lesson Clearinghouse is brought to you in partnership with

Center for Green Schools