(Washington, DC) – The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries Inc. (ISRI), the Voice of the Recycling Industry™, announced today the launch of three school recycling curriculum pilots in Staten Island, New York; Baltimore, Maryland; and Kalamazoo, Michigan. These pilots combine standards-based lessons that teach the science of recycling with local outreach through community recycling partners for students to receive hands-on learning on the recycling process.
Over the last few years ReMA has worked closely with JASON Learning, a nonprofit organization and long-time partner of the National Geographic Society, to develop a recycling curriculum for teachers to use within STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) subjects in grades K-12. This comprehensive curriculum includes curricular experiences; interactive Web-based experiences to enhance student engagement; classroom posters featuring key educational messages; strategies for school visits to ReMA member recycling facilities; age-appropriate lesson plans based on life cycle for each commodity; and more.
“ISRI is proud to be partnering with JASON and local schools on this one-of-a-kind initiative to help teach the science of recycling in classrooms and get kids interested in careers in science,” said Robin Wiener, president of ISRI. “The three pilot programs led by ReMA members Pratt Industries, United Iron and Metal, and Schupan and Sons will give children the opportunity to see how recycling works up close, teach them the skills needed for careers in the field, and help them develop an interest in STEM subjects. It is through this education process that the recycling industry will gain its next generation of leaders.”
Staten Island, New York
With the assistance of Staten Island Borough President James S. Oddo, ISRI’s recycling curriculum will be launched at 10 Staten Island public schools this spring and then expanded borough-wide for the next school year, serving nearly 65,000 students. ReMA Member Pratt Industries is sponsoring this pilot and is an active partner in its implementation. This includes hosting school tours at their recycled paper mill so students can see firsthand how the paper recycling process works. Other key partners that have contributed resources and expertise to ensure proper implementation of this program include GrowNYC, the Department of Sanitation of New York, and the sustainability department for the NYC Department of Education.
Baltimore, Maryland
A second pilot program is taking place at Lakeland Elementary/Middle School located in Baltimore, Maryland. This inner-city school has more than 800 students from pre-K through 8th grades. JASON Learning has been providing Lakeland teachers with a series of training sessions on effectively delivering the recycling curriculum which it plans to implement at the school this coming fall. ReMA Member United Iron & Metal LLC (owned by the Atlantic Recycling Group) is the community recycling partner for this pilot.
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Kalamazoo County Public Schools are hosting ISRI’s third recycling pilot program. JASON Learning is conducting recycling curriculum training on May 6 for more than two dozen teachers from across the Kalamazoo County School District and throughout Southwest Michigan. These teachers are planning to integrate the recycling curriculum into lesson plans this coming fall. This pilot is being sponsored by ISRI’s Michigan Chapter with active participation from ReMA Member Schupan & Sons serving as the pilot’s community recycling partner. Schupan & Sons will arrange to provide tours of their recycling facility in conjunction with the curriculum implementation.
To access the ISRI/JASON Learning curriculum visit www.isri.org/jason.
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The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc. (ISRI)
ISRI is the Voice of the Recycling Industry™. ReMA represents more than 1,600 companies in 21 chapters nationwide that process, broker and industrially consume scrap commodities, including metals, paper, plastics, glass, rubber, electronics and textiles. With headquarters in Washington, DC, ReMA provides safety, education, advocacy, and compliance training, and promotes public awareness of the vital role recycling plays in the U.S. economy, global trade, the environment and sustainable development. For more information about ISRI, visit www.ISRI.org.