Lead by teacher Karen Thomas, Kensington CAPA’s Earth Force group focused on improving recycling rates in their school and community. They contacted the New Kensington Community Development Corporation to arranged for representatives to visit the class and educate them about their neighborhood. The NKCDC representatives educated the students about the serious impacts waste management issues can have in their neighborhood. Students began by investigating the School District’s policies and researching whether they were effective. They discovered that despite the money the district was investing in encouraging a litter free environment, their school had a sizable litter and trash problem.
The students continued their research by designing a survey for CAPAclassrooms to determine whether CAPA students recycle. They discovered that most students did not recycle; however, their survey also showed that if recycling was more accessible, more students would recycle. The class decided to put their survey results to the test by strategically placing recycling bins in target classrooms. By conducting a follow-up inventory, Earth Force students found a huge increase in the school recycling rate and the number of students who recycled. In just one day, the students counted more than 1,000 sheets of paper that had been placed in the recycling bins. Based on their findings, the students could estimate how much paper was thrown away in the other classrooms that did not have the recycling bins.
The Earth Force students concluded that recycling at CAPA could have big environmental impacts. To ensure that CAPA keeps recycling, the AP Environmental Science class will take over the project next year. The students will not only be in charge of collecting recyclables and data, but will also act as teachers for the younger grades. They are planning a presentation especially designed for ninth graders to involve them in school recycling.