Even if a school has gone digital, chances are there's still plenty of paper being used. The three activities help scholars learn about the environmental impact of paper and another consumer products of their choosing, the issue of environmental rights, and also how to present their findings in a visually friendly way.

Concepts

consumerism, environmental science, sustainability, manufacturing, environmental stewardship

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• Expand by exploring the debate about the role of the Environmental Protection Agency in the United States
• Use as a springboard to investigate the recycling practices at school
• If it's a topic of interest, expand Activity Two into a lengthy research project

Classroom Considerations

• The hyperlink to resources from "Papercutz" on page 3 is broken but can be found by googling "cool australia paper planet curriculum"

Pros

• Shows that going digital has environmental repercussions of its own
• Demonstrates that the entire product lifecycle can have negative impact on the environment, not just the final waste stage

Cons

• None