Project Proposal

We are The Green Machine, a group of college seniors from UMass Dartmouth working together to engage students at Carney Academy in activities to discover the benefits of recycling. We are kicking off our recycling efforts with a school wide assembly introducing the can drive competition. During this assembly we will also be giving the students general background information on how to recycle. In addition to spreading this message to the young children, we will also be involving the students families by sending a newsletter home with each student to help reach out to the community. This flyer includes reasons why it is important to recycle, our involvement with teaching the children about recycling, lists of items that can and cannot be recycled, and contact information on how to request a blue bin. After holding the assembly with the whole school we will focus more on the entire 4th grade class by hosting another meeting to expand their knowledge further. At this meeting the children will be making recycling posters to hang in their classroom or around the school along with participating in other educational going green activities. With it being America Recycles Day, November 15th marks the end of our event. That day the children will find out how much money they raised for their school through the can drive. We will wrap up the assembly with any questions regarding recycling from the students or staff and will encourage the students and faculty to continue recycling at school and at home hoping that our efforts have made an impact on their lives.

ARD Project Events Bottle and Can Drive Competition- 10/11/11 to 11/10/11 Newsletter to all 488 students and faculty Kick-off Assembly to introduce the project to all of the students and faculty of Carney Academy- 10/11/11 o Introduce the school wide competition Can Drive among each suite o A How To and What To Recycling Information Session o Interactive Recycling Demonstration th 4 Grade Assembly- 10/25/11 o Recycling Poster contest between each of the 4th grade classes The winners of the poster contest will help us announce the winners of the can drive in the Final Assembly o Paper wasting workshop and replanting activity o Recycling Survey o I Pledge Certificates Final Assembly- 11/15/11, America Recycles Day o Announce the Winners of the can drive o Possible guest speaker (waiting for reply) o Program Completion Awards

ARD Criteria Service to Community Partners o We plan on serving the community partners through our blue bin initiative. In the newsletter we are sending home with all the students and faculty, we have provided the information so families can order blue bins for their home. They can either contact Marissa directly or fill out the blue bin request form online. All the necessary information has been provided on page 2 of the newsletter. ARD Events o In order to involve the New Bedford community at large, we will be hosting a kick off event to introduce the school wide bottle and can drive competition with all of the 488 students and faculty of Carney Academy. At the kick off event we will be providing the necessary information relating to the proper ways to collect and recycle bottles and cans! We hope that this event will involve the community because the students will need to involve their parent(s)/guardians to fulfill their can collection goals. o In addition to this event, we will also be hosting a recycling poster competition among the 4th graders. The winners of this competition will

aid us in announcing the winners of the bottle and can competition! As a small activity to further our recycling efforts, we will be providing the 4th grade with an information session and planting activity on the importance of recycling paper and the damages that can result from wasting paper. Community Involvement o We plan on involving the community through the distribution of our newsletter. By sending the newsletter home with the faculty, in addition to the 488 students, we feel that we will be able to reach a large portion of the community. We hope that by sending the newsletter home, the students will involve their friends and family members in their efforts to collect bottles and cans for the competition. Awareness, Education, and Behavior o Creating awareness, aiding in the education, and changing the behavior of the students and families is a major goal of ours in our recycling efforts. Our events including the kick off event, activities with the 4th grade, can drive, and newsletter are all planned with the intention of creating awareness, and helping educate the students and families about the importance of recycling. We hope that through our projects, we can teach the families that recycling is an easy step that can really make a big difference. Sustainability o By hosting the bottle and can competition and planting flowers/plants with the 4th grade, we are hosting a sustainable event. We hope that by starting this tradition with Carney Academy, they will continue to host this event long after we are gone. Our event is sustainable because we are taking a harmful product that would have otherwise gone in the trash and recycling it. Our events will also have lasting effects. The plants will grow long after we have left and with our blue bin initiative, the families will continue to recycle at home and at school. Creativity o We feel our project is creative because we are incorporating many events to help in our recycling efforts. The can and bottle drive will boost excitement about recycling within the school but it will also involve the community because the students will have to involve their families to help with the competition! The newsletter is a great way to spread the important information about recycling and the blue bin initiative to the homes in the community. Planting the seeds and the poster contest with the students is a fun, hands on activity that will get the students involved while at the same time, educating them about the importance of not wasting paper. We think that by hosting multiple large scale events, we

will be able to accomplish our goal of spreading the importance of recycling to the community at large. Lasting Impact o We hope that our events have a lasting impact on the faculty, students, and families of Carney Academy. We hope that the knowledge they gain from these activities and events will stick with them and they continue to recycle long after we leave! Event Dates o Kick off date- Tuesday, October 11th o 4th grade Assembly- Tuesday, October 25th o Final Assembly- Tuesday, November 15th