20 CPS teachers gathered at the Center for Green Technology on Thursday, October 6 to get ready for the new recycling season at CPS. Teachers in attendance learned about great new curriculum from Facing the Future called "Buy, Use, Toss." Ten lessons and a bounty of extra online and video resources will enable students to dive deep and explore the social and environmental problems when we consume without thinking about the aftermath (particulary to the environment) of our choices.
Each teacher will lead a team of students that will develop and implement a recycling strategy at their school. Teams will be able to track their progress at www.cps.edu/gogreen and seeh how they are fairing on their recycling goals. We believe that each team will help its school smash the 100% goal of targeted recycling volume.
As recycling teams meet to strategize and implement their plans, they will also be able to participate in field trips to several locations to learn more about environmental issues and recycling processes. These experiences will help students build 21st century skills as they will be forced to think critically and creatively, collaborate with their peers, and solve problems that inevitably arise as the school works to get adults and students on board with recycling.
CPS is lucky to have such great teachers and students who are dedicated to the environment and engaging young people in such important work. Kudos in particular to Whitney Young High School which was represented by two student leaders who are anxious to implement plans at their school.
