Resource 4: Waste in a Mason Jar

Lowery, A. (2014, December 23). 'All My Trash Fits in a Single Mason Jar'. Retrieved December 09, 2020, from https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2014/12/all-my-trash-fits-in-a-single-mason-jar.html

This resource is an excellent approach to teach sustainability because it demonstrates a practical activity that students can do. The article is an interview of Lauren Singer, a young woman in New York who has made a habit of minimizing her annual waste contribution. She has ensured that her waste from the whole year is enough to fit in one mason jar. This is an incredible and at first seemingly impossible task to undertake. Without seeing how an activity like this could actually look in completion, students may feel overwhelmed at the thought of doing something this “drastic” in the name of sustainability. However, this resource is a good way to show students that there are so many ways for them to implement sustainable practices in their own lives. Singer’s actions can be viewed as inspirational and her interview responses pose an opportunity for students to consider how they might go about practicing actionable sustainability. It is an easy read, which contributes further to it being a strong resource to include in a lesson. In the event that I plan an entire unit around climate change and ideas for lasting sustainability, this resource could be introduced at the start and set up the premise for a unit project. Reading about Lauren Singers challenge for herself made me think about how I could bring this into the classroom. This seems like an activity that could be presented to students at the beginning of the unit, I could give students a challenge where they must do this for the duration of the unit. At the end of the unit they will write about their experience and decide if this was something they could see themselves carrying on after the unit ends. On top of that, students can use this resource to begin brainstorming ways they could begin to implement change in their own lives if they don’t see themselves implementing mason jar waste in their lives. 


Click here to go to the interview! All My Trash Fits In a Single Mason Jar
Hey there! My name is Jordyn but my friends call me Jords. I am currently a student at UBC in their Bachelor of Education Secondary School Program. It's a bit of a mouthful but basically - I want to teach high schoolers. I currently love watching A LOT of Christmas Hallmark movies. I also love sunflowers and being outside which is probably why I wanted to find a bunch of resources that can help me teach my future students about protecting the earth. So welcome here, I hope you find something useful here!

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