Esther Cyna SUSTAINABILITY Monday, February 29th from 3:30pm to 5:30pm Sustainability Around the World workshop at an Elementary After-School Program in Brooklyn PS 636

Guess My Language! Introductory Activity: Guess My Language (2min) Words, spoken out loud: La terre = The Earth Le monde = the World Un pays = a country Ma maison = my home

What color is my country? (3min) Ask students to Raise their hand if you think it’s: Bright green, dark green, etc Circle or star your country

What color is my country? (3min) Ask students to Raise their hand if you think it’s: Bright green, dark green, etc Circle or star your country

Point out to the students - Where is the capital? Where do you live? What is the environment like? Explain the different parts of France: sunny South vs. cold North, mountains vs. coasts etc

BONJOUR! OPTIONAL SLIDE (3min) Ask students about what they think of this character: why does he look French? What is he carrying? What about the colors red, white and blue?

Culture Introduction (5min) My city: Paris Briefly share your thoughts and a few personal photos about your culture in one or two slides. For example: What do you love about your country? How is it different from NYC? Try to share a cultural aspect that connects to the theme of sustainability & what you will be discussing later

The Eiffel Tower / La Tour Eiffel Quick questions and facts It was built by Mr. Eiffel, who built it to prove that you could do a lot with iron (1889). It was built for an exhibit. At the time, people thought it was very ugly and wanted it to be destroyed. Now it’s the symbol of my city! You can go to the first and second level by taking the stairs or the elevators. Why do you think it is called the Eiffel Tower? Is there a building or structure that is the symbol of NYC?

Paris Particular aspect of culture, related to sustainability: Paris & COP 21 (5 min) ASK STUDENTS QUESTIONS TO COMPARE/CONTRAST WITH THEIR CULTURE! Do you think living in Paris is different from living in New York? Why and how? What about for children and youth in particular? Do you have questions about what it’s like to grow up in Paris? Do you think living in Paris is different from living in New York? Why and how? What about for children and youth in particular? Do you have questions about what it’s like to grow up in Paris?

COP21 in Paris Why is it important to talk about climate change? Major event that took place in November: Paris Climate Conference. 296 countries met in Paris to talk about issues of sustainability. Why is it important to talk about climate change? What do you think they talked about? Why is it important to have different countries in the same meeting?

Sustainability in France The theme: Sustainability in France (5min) Sustainability is about using energy without harming the environment. In France, we built windmills to use the power of the wind to create electricity. The power of the wind is an unlimited resource, which means that even if we use it, there’s still going to be plenty for the earth. That is not the case with oil, coal or gas. France has the third largest wind resources in Europe after Germany and the United Kingdom.

Windmills in France A lot of people are against the use of windmills because they think it looks ugly. What do you think?

Le Recyclage Windmills and other big decisions are very important in a country, but sometimes it’s hard to know what YOU can do to help the planet. There is a lot you can do to create a more sustainable environment. Explain why recycling is an important part of everyday life. What do you think those big bins are for?

The Recycling Relay Activity: 20-25 minutes The Recycling Relay works like any relay race, except it's more fun because it is meaningful and takes a little thought. Team members are encouraged to help one another determine what gets recycled in which bin. Part 1: Explain the game Sit the players in a circle and handout a selection of trash and recyclables (these will not be real items, for the students’ safety. I will print/make cards with an image on them and the name of the item). Pass them around the circle so that each player is holding one card. Then ask players to put all of the “recyclable paper” cards into the center of the circle (newspaper, letter, piece of paper), then the beverage cartons (milk carton, etc.), recyclable plastic, and metal items. Now have the players who still have non recyclable trash to hold up what they have so that everyone can see. Explain that all of this would have to go to the landfill. 

Part 2: Play the game Introduce the green pail for paper and cardboard, the blue pail for metal, (glass), plastic, and beverage cartons, and the black bag for regular waste. These will be 3 boxes with a sign of each color, green, blue and black, with the symbols as shown on the slide on them. Divide the players into two teams. Set the boxes 20 or 30 feet away. On "go" the students pick something from the pile of cards, run, deposit the object in the correct receptacle, and run back and tag the next person, who picks up another object and runs down the field. The game concludes when the pile of recyclables and waste is gone. 

There is no winner. At the conclusion the remind the players that, "When we recycle, everybody wins!"

When we recycle, everybody wins! Optional activity, depending on time (15-20min) Students create their own bin signs so they can put it up above their own bins at home or above the ones that are in the classroom. They can draw items & write words with any color / style / words that they want!

Closing Q&A