Classroom Programs

If the world’s population used up our natural resources at the rate that the United States currently does it would take five planets to support us long term. We must change our ways in order to sustain the Earth for future generations. What better way to start than to educate our students about things they can do to help preserve our natural resources?

Invite us into your classroom to give your students a better understanding of what happens after trash leaves the curb or how their choices have a lasting environmental impact. LRSWA offers fun and information filled 30-minute lessons and activities for grades Pre-K through middle school.

Model Recycling Program Toolkit

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) has released a Model Recycling Program Toolkit - an interactive collection of EPA and other materials to help states, territories, local governments, tribes, schools, nonprofit organizations, companies, and public-private partnerships create effective programs for recycling, composting, anaerobic digestion, reuse, repair and waste reduction. Materials in the toolkit can help communities increase participation in recycling programs and reduce contamination in the recycling stream.

  • Case studies from communities who have created effective recycling, composting, anaerobic digestion, reuse, and repair programs.
  • Training materials on how to create educational messages and campaigns that drive behavior change.
  • Examples of consumer education materials that states, tribes, and local government entities can adapt and use in recycling programs.
  • Standardized terms with examples that may be used to describe materials that are accepted by residential recycling programs.
  • A grantee evaluation guide to measure increased participation, reduced contamination, and change in volume of recyclables collected.

Creating Messages that Drive Behavior Change

Education alone rarely changes behavior. If your community is trying to create impactful educational materials that lead to behavior change, such as recycling right, consider applying social marketing approaches.

Social marketing is a discipline that aims to change behaviors for the good of society, communities, and people. Social marketing approaches can increase the effectiveness of communications and marketing efforts. To create meaningful and sustainable behavior change, organizations can deploy social marketing strategies to overcome barriers and provide people with personal, relevant motivators to act.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) recently released recorded trainings and written materials on creating messages that drive behavior change. The presentation includes examples of how recycling, composting, and food waste prevention programs have applied social marketing to change behavior.  Consider using these social marketing trainings when preparing lessons, outreach messages, or even applying for grants!

Find training materials and more information on social marketing at  https://www.epa.gov/recyclingstrategy/creating-messages-drive-behavior-change