For a third consecutive year, Staten Island, N.Y., K-12 science teachers can participate in a free Recycling Activities Collection training workshop designed to equip them with the resources, tools and strategies needed to share the science behind recycling with students. The training will be based upon the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries’ (ISRI) standards-based recycling curriculum, developed by JASON Learning.

This year’s workshop, presented by JASON Learning, will take place on Thursday, June 8 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Grand Oaks Country Club in concert with the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation’s Green ‘n Clean Festival 2017. The training session will be introduced this year by Staten Island Borough President James S. Oddo, New York City Department of Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia, and Pratt Industries Recycling Division President Myles Cohen.

ISRI’s recycling curriculum was originally piloted in 10 Staten Island schools in 2015 due to the program’s synergies with one of Borough President James S. Oddo’s major initiatives: litter reduction. ISRI member Pratt Industries took the initiative to coordinate a meeting between the office of the Borough President, ISRI, Jason Learning, New York City Department of Education, and New York City Department of Sanitation to start the conversation. The result was a private-public partnership that achieved multiple goals with one program; increased recycling, reduced litter, and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) learning in K-12 schools.

The curriculum suite includes 30 age-appropriate activities and readings for teacher lesson planning, interactive web-based experiences with key messaging to enhance student engagement, classroom posters featuring life cycles for each recycled 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,” ISRI President Robin Wiener said in a statement. “This training program led by ISRI member Pratt Industries will provide Staten Island teachers with the tools to 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.”