Watch this video and meet Lauren Singer who has collected her trash in a glass jar for 4 years!  Amazing, right?

Are you ready for the challenge to collect all your trash for the week in one glass jar! There are people around the world trying this zero waste challenge.

Let’s a take a moment to reflect first. Have you ever thought about how much trash you produce in a day? How about a year? The average person generates 4.3 pounds of waste per day; that's 1,569 pounds per year. Not a great feeling, huh? Write down your thoughts about this.

Let's try this challenge for this program! Don't worry, we won't ask you to do this for 4 years, though you are more than welcome to, for the sake of our environment!

Activity Description:  In this activity, we challenge you to store all your trash for the next 6 weeks of program, in a single 15 - 20 ounce mason jar, peanut butter, Nutella, or even a pickle jar!  As you go through the next 5-6 weeks, decide what of your trash needs to be thrown away and what can be recycled. Place your trash in the mason jar over the week and see that it doesn’t reach the top! 

Some Vocabulary to Look Up:  Biodegradable, Trash, Recycle

Guidelines:

1. This is trash (aka what goes in the Jar): plastic items (like straws, price tags on clothes), candy wrapping paper, etc..
2. This can be recycled: paper, water bottles, cardboard boxes
3. This can be composted (if available): skins of fruit and vegetables (like banana peels), soil, seeds from fruits and vegetables. Here is more information about composting:

***Do not throw any food items or personal hygiene items in the jar. If you are able to compost your food items, please do that. Otherwise, for the purposes of this activity these items can be thrown in the regular trash. Amazing, right?

Activity: Vlog (within 2 minutes) your journey of throwing trash in your jar! Vlog your jar everyday or week and create one culminating video. We will ask you to submit your final video on the last week of program! Reflect on these questions as you complete your daily or weekly Vlogs:

1. How much trash do you normally throw out in a day, week, etc..? What do you think you can change to reduce your trash and save the environment?
2. Can you think of something creative you can make from a recycled material? For example, how would you re-use a bunch of straws or cardboard? Feel free to add any creative structure you made to your video!!
3. How does this exercise make you feel? Do you feel like this doable?

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