"Action for a cleaner tomorrow: A South Carolina Environmental Curriculum Supplement"
"Action in the Classroom" l Take Action: Recycle Used Motor Oil Tool Kit
Green Driver Project l Green Step Schools l "Eco-Jeopardy" l"Earth Today"
"Trashumentary" l "DHEC1: Behind the Oil Change"
Education Programs
Education is a priority of DHEC's Office of Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling (Office). Several of its centerpiece education programs are listed below. To learn more about the programs, sponsors and related topics, click on the links provided.
- "Action for a cleaner tomorrow: A South Carolina Environmental Curriculum Supplement" ("Action") is a national award-winning kindergarten through 12th grade, activity-based, interdisciplinary curriculum supplement. Developed by teachers and the Office in conjunction with the S.C. Department of Education and others, "Action" can serve as a starting place for introducing basic environmental education in the classroom. The curriculum supplement is correlated to the state's science standards. "Action" is available only as part of a three-hour training provided by the Office. To organize a training, click on the "Action" links provided.
- "Action in the classroom for Fifth-Grade " talks "trash" with fifth grade students and provides an overview of recycling in South Carolina. The basics of what happens when you throw something away, and 3 R's - reduce, reuse and recycle - are covered, as well as buy recycled. The lesson "My Bag" from "Action for a cleaner tomorrow" is taught and many examples of what can and should be recycled are shown. To have "Action in the classroom" come to your fifth grade class, click here.
- "Action in the classroom for Seventh-Grade" leads seventh-grade students into identifying and conserving natural resources, groundwater and energy and gives an overview of recycling in South Carolina. From investigating what we throw away to thinking about how we can save renewable and non-renewable resources, students are given practical, hands-on lessons to help them get the facts they need to think for themselves, form opinions, make decisions and take action. To have "Action in the classroom" come to your seventh-grade class, click here.
- The "Take Action: Recycle Used Motor Oil Tool Kit" is designed for teachers to introduce used motor oil recycling into the classroom. For teachers who have received a grant through the Office's Recycling Education Grant Program, any of the activities or lessons provided in this tool kit can be used to meet the used motor oil awareness requirement. Click here to view the tool kit.
- The Green Driver Project targets students in high school driver education classes and provides an overview of the environmental impact of driving - lessons that will last a lifetime. Students learn the importance of used oil recycling, related air, water and energy issues regarding the proper maintenance of their vehicles, litter prevention and safety through a new video, "DHEC1: Behind the Oil Change." The Green Rider Project is a similar program targeting younger students.
- The Green Step Schools is an environmental education initiative that encourages individual schools to take annual steps toward becoming more environmentally responsible. Schools are assisted by a statewide network of mentors and share their results with other schools. Projects include recycling, habitat and butterfly gardening, composting, indoor and outdoor air quality, water and energy conservation, waste reduction, forestry and many others. Green Step Schools was established in 2003 with Keep the Midlands Beautiful, Sonoco Recycling, and the Office as part of the S.C. Resource Conservation Challenge. For more information about Green Steps and to get started, click here.
- The following videos were developed by the Office and other DHEC Environmental Outreach Programs.
- "Eco-Jeopardy" is based on one of the most popular and successful quiz game shows in television history - "Jeopardy!" Using the unique "Jeopardy!" format, "Eco-Jeopardy" features three student contestants who are given an environmental answer and compete to be the first to come up with the appropriate question. The half-hour program, which targets fourth to eighth-grade students, covers a wide variety of environmental topics such as recycling and energy conservation as well as air and water quality in 12 "Eco-Jeopardy" categories. Additional information on each of the answers and questions discussed in "Eco-Jeopardy" is provided (click here). "Eco-Jeopardy" is available only on DVD.
- "Earth Today" is a half-hour program that features student anchors and reporters in a network morning news format. The program, based on the "Today Show," NBC's popular morning news program, provides segments on a variety of environmental issues including air and water quality, energy conservation, recycling and litter prevention.
- Ever visit a landfill? Or a recycling or composting facility? An incinerator? Elementary and middle school students can visit all of these solid waste management facilities without leaving the classroom. "Trashumentary" is a 20-minute program that features visits to each of these facilities with students asking questions to the people who work there.
- "DHEC1: Behind the Oil Change" chronicles the rise, fall and redemption of Dawson Leary, an environmentally conscious high school student, who is caught illegally dumping used motor oil into a storm drain. This 14-minute program mimics the popular teen television programs "VH1: Behind the Music" and "Dawson's Creek." The program is the centerpiece for the "Green Driver Project" mentioned above.
To receive a copy of these programs on DVD, contact the Office's Resource Center by calling 1-800-768-7348 or click here.
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For more information about recycling in South Carolina, please call 1-800-768-7348.
This Web page was last updated on December 9, 2008.