Waste

== = = =__Waste__=


 * Discovery Questions:**

//(Add your own questions; start brainstorming answers.)//

What happens to trash that is left on the ground? How much trash is left on the ground at the end of the day? Who cleans up the trash or do we just leave it lying there? What happens to the trash in our classrooms at the end of the day? Is the way we dispose of our trash the most sustainable way? What happens to our trash when it leaves our school? (Locally /globally) How much trash do we generate as a class/ as a team/ as a grade level/ as a school? How can we reduce this? (Identify specific items or changes) How much food waste do we generate each day? All told? Per person? What happens to our food waste? Where does our food waste go? How much of our food waste is biodegradable and how much isn't? How can we reduce the biodegradable portion? How much of the waste we produce on campus is recyclable here in Hawaii? How much would be recyclable on the mainland where there are more comprehensive recycling plants? How much does Punahou recycle in all? Is there anything else we can recycle besides what we are recycling now? What other types of waste do we generate on our campus? (think of EVERYTHING that is used in a school day) How much of the paper we use daily is being recycled? Is there a way to recycle other types of plastic and not just plastic bottles?
 * Could a team of students look into this and follow the trash from Punahou to wherever it winds up?
 * We could set up teams to patrol specific areas for trash
 * We could set up a station in Gates that would measure the amount of loose trash picked up in certain areas and chart the amount over time.
 * At home we've had composting worms for the last three or four months. It's unlikely that we could amass enough of the family sized "Can O' Worms" containers to handle all the food waste at Punahou, but I have heard from Mindy Jaffe that there's a school in San Diego that has a worm "bin" large enough to turn all the food waste into vermicompost, the highly nutritious worm feces that one can use in gardens. Might be worth looking into. In addition to food waste one must add paper and cardboard, which also helps our family make the recycling trip a bit less often. Also, every time I feed the worms I see all the organisms now inhabiting the bin with our worms. I bet the Biology students, those who aren't squeemish about rotting food being eaten by worms and the like, could look into the composting worm bin ecosystems. I've been curious to know about everything going on in our can.
 * CANS ARE NOT BIODEGRADABLE (right now at least...)
 * I believe there are a few cans on campus. I've seen one in Case, perhaps in the seventh grade building, and I'm sure that Alan Lum's classroom has one already.
 * Computers
 * cellphones
 * old electronics and junk

I think it would be a good idea for Punahou to have paper recycling bins outside on campus and in classrooms. Also, I know that there are some paper bins in science rooms but they are never emptied and people use them for regular trash bins. I believe that if Punahou put out the paper bins for students then more paper would be reused and recycled. ~MW
 * Project Ideas:**
 * Reduce usage. Its true about each paper killing a tree. If you didnt use that paper, someone else would, and perhaps that would have saved a tree.

We need to find a way to make recycling aound campus more appealing to students. Many times, I know students will just throw away their empty soda bottles and cans into the trash cans even though the recycling bins are right next to them. If we want to get more recycling done, we need to make it so that people will make an effort to recycle more. Increasing the amount of recycling bins around campus will not solve any problem if people do not use them. I believe that this is a problem which must be solved by the students. I also believe that one of the most wasted resources that Punahou uses is electricity. I think that Punahou should change all of their light bulbs from regular incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescent light bulbs, because they use 60 percent less energy then regular light bulbs do. I believe that if we did this simple thing it would save Punahou lots of money and more importantly it would reduce the amount of energy and it reduce the amount of carbon dioxide. ~MW

(Switch to LEDs! They last forever and use less energy! -R4) I think another thing that we waste a lot here in Punahou is water. We need to start conserving and maybe even [|re-using the water] before it runs out.


 * Projects in Progress:**

//To-do list: In Tokyo they've done amazing things with recycling. I visited the recycling plant when I was there a year and a half ago and have some materials I can summarize and post. - RBS//

Why not just scan what you have and post it? -R4

Here's a pretty simple introduction to the problem and potential solutions to our growing e-waste problem: http://www.greenblue.org/edesign/edesign_background.shtml
 * Computer Waste:**

Simple solution: Reuse them in underprivileged schools. They are great for word processing and for school work (but not for games). [|For Macs] [|Mac Internet] As for Windows, there is a world of free programs. Just search the internet. -R4