Class learns to be environmentally aware (WHO)
You probably have a few plastic bags stashed away under your sink or in your kitchen pantry. Despite the push for reusable shopping totes, disposable bags still seem to make their way into our house. Students at one metro school are trying to change that.
The "bag monster" recently visited Westwood Elementary School in Ankeny. Third Grader Emily Graham says, "The bag monster is made up of 500 bags, which is pretty much how many an average person uses a year."
This month, the elementary students are taking that message out into the community. They want everyone to ditch disposable shopping bags in favor of reusable ones. Teacher Jane VanderPol says, "It's just to get students more aware of the environment, and one way they can help as an 8 year old is encourage their family to use reusable shopping bags."
You probably have a pile of plastic bags stashed in your pantry or under your sink. The bag monster is teaching the students if we cut our plastic bag use in half we could save 2,000 barrels of oil everyday. The students also performed a play as part of their learning experience. In it, the students ask, "Why do we want to use less disposable shopping bags?" One replies, "Because hundreds of thousands of sea turtles and other mammals die every year from eating plastic bags that they mistake as food."
Teachers also incorporated eco-friendly lessons. Parent Jule Dirksen helped bring the teaching tool to school. She says she hopes kids see how their green awareness can change the community. She says, "When people start using reusable shopping bags more and more, they can be proud of themselves and say, 'I've helped make a difference for the future." The students are going around this week selling compact reusable Chico shopping bags, and they're encouraging people to reduce, reuse and recycle, as part of their earth day awareness event.
The "bag monster" recently visited Westwood Elementary School in Ankeny. Third Grader Emily Graham says, "The bag monster is made up of 500 bags, which is pretty much how many an average person uses a year."
This month, the elementary students are taking that message out into the community. They want everyone to ditch disposable shopping bags in favor of reusable ones. Teacher Jane VanderPol says, "It's just to get students more aware of the environment, and one way they can help as an 8 year old is encourage their family to use reusable shopping bags."
You probably have a pile of plastic bags stashed in your pantry or under your sink. The bag monster is teaching the students if we cut our plastic bag use in half we could save 2,000 barrels of oil everyday. The students also performed a play as part of their learning experience. In it, the students ask, "Why do we want to use less disposable shopping bags?" One replies, "Because hundreds of thousands of sea turtles and other mammals die every year from eating plastic bags that they mistake as food."
Teachers also incorporated eco-friendly lessons. Parent Jule Dirksen helped bring the teaching tool to school. She says she hopes kids see how their green awareness can change the community. She says, "When people start using reusable shopping bags more and more, they can be proud of themselves and say, 'I've helped make a difference for the future." The students are going around this week selling compact reusable Chico shopping bags, and they're encouraging people to reduce, reuse and recycle, as part of their earth day awareness event.
