Page 4 of Environmental Management Lesson Plan by Indiana Department of Environmental Management

IDEM Lesson Plan: Recycling Page 4 of 24 Lesson Activities A. Introduction Recycling is one of the best ways for citizens to make a direct impact on the environment. It helps the environment in a number of ways. First of all, recycling reduces energy use. For example, recycling aluminum uses 95% less energy than producing it from raw sources. Recycling also conserves the natural resources on Earth like plants, animals, minerals, fresh air and fresh water. Recycling saves space in the landfills for future generations of people. If we use up all the space in landfills by not recycling today, in future there will not be any space left to store trash. B. Conserving Resources There are different kinds of resources that we can help save by recycling. Natural resources are things like plants, animals, minerals, fresh air and fresh water. These are found naturally on our planet and are not produced by humans. Renewable resources are resources that naturally replenish themselves like trees, fresh air, fresh water, crops, and wildlife. Even though they are called "renewable", people cannot waste or misuse them now or they could become endangered or even disappear. Nonrenewable resources are resources that have a limited availability on Earth. Once used, these resources cannot be renewed within our lifetime. C. The First Steps: Reduce and Reuse Because our resources are so precious and many cannot be replaced, it is important that we reduce the amount that we use. Often, resources are used carelessly and inefficiently, without much thought to conservation. Reducing the amount of resources used not only cuts back on the amount of resources used but also on the amount of pollution that would be created in making them. This means we should conserve our resources such as using less paper by using both sides of a sheet of paper or less water by turning off the faucet while we are brushing out teeth. Look for other ways we can reduce the amount of resources we use. Another way to protect our natural resources is to reuse. This means that one should avoid making more trash or wasting resources and energy by reusing things that are already made. This includes donating used clothing and items to those who need them, borrowing things instead of buying them, and avoiding disposable products.

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