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The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) takes a proactive approach in keeping the public informed about our environmental programs. One tool by which MDE accomplishes this is “MDE in the Classroom,” a program that sends MDE personnel to schools and offers various displays, presentations and demonstrations.
“Reaching elementary schoolers when they are young helps them form opinions about their role in protecting the environment,” said MDE Secretary Kendl P. Philbrick. “We’re proud of our outreach program and encourage coordination between the Department’s Waste Management and Air and Radiation Management administrations.”
MDE employees from the Waste Management Administration’s recycling program and the Air and Radiation Management Administration (ARMA) visited each of Worcester County’s five elementary schools, April 27 and 28. The visits’ intent was to present young students with information about how individual activities impact our environment and voluntary actions that can reduce pollution. These visits, organized by Ron Taylor of Worcester County’s Recycling Center and Terry Kuta and Kara Schwenke of MDE, provided outreach to over 500 second, third and fourth grade students and their teachers.
We Each Create Seven Pounds of Trash per Day!
Ms. Kuta and Ms. Schwenke told the students that each of Maryland’s four million residents can produce as much as seven pounds of trash per day - enough to fill a sports stadium. If thrown in with the regular garbage collection, all that trash will either go to a landfill or be incinerated. To illustrate how much of our throwaway items can be reused or recycled, they performed a trash sorting demonstration with seven pounds of items typically thrown away. After separating glass jars, paper, cardboard, aluminum cans, and plastic bottles, all of which can be recycled, only two items (a Styrofoam cup and a plastic wrapper) remained for regular trash collection.
Old Blue Jeans Become Writing Utensils!
They also showed new products made from recycled materials. One item that students found especially interesting is a tee shirt, which feels like any cotton tee shirt, made from recycled plastic bottles. Pencils are manufactured from recycled denim.
ARMA’s Bob Maddox talked about Earth’s energy resources and how some energy resources, such as wind and sunlight, are clean and renewable, while other energy resources, such as fossil fuels, can pollute and because of its limited amounts, can be expensive.
E-cycling
All the MDE employees reminded the students that there are things they and their families can do to protect the environment and conserve resources. Mr. Taylor reminded the teachers and students of the county’s e-cycling events where old computers, televisions and other electronics can dropped off for recycling rather than thrown in the trash or landfills.
MDE in the Classroom is available to public and private schools, scout groups, after-school programs and camps. To schedule a presentation at your school, please visit the MDE website at
http://mde.maryland.gov/programs/LAND/
RecyclingandOperationsprogram/Pages/EducationandOutreach.aspx under Education and Outreach, MDE in the Classroom.
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