SUSTAINABILITY SUPERHEROES
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Resources
    • Resources from Workshops >
      • Sustainable Cities and Communities SDG11
      • GLOBAL LITERACY: INDUSTRIES, INNOVATION, AND INFRASTRUCTURE
      • Buy The Change You Want to See
      • Save the Ocean
      • America Recycles Day
      • Ask the Right Questions
      • Birds, Bees, Flowers, Trees
      • Circular Economy
      • SDG 101
      • Earth Day Every Day >
        • Text Sets K-2
        • Text Sets 3-5
      • Energy
      • Frozen
      • Garbage Solutions
      • Gardening
      • In Kindergarten >
        • In Kindergarten Bees
        • In Kindergarten with Peter Rabbit
        • In Kindergarten with the Lorax
      • Rethink Tank
      • In the Shark Tank >
        • Business Model Canvas >
          • Ideation
          • Value Proposition >
            • Customer Segments
            • Value + Customer Testing
            • Channels
            • Customer Relationships
          • Revenue
          • Costs >
            • Key Resources
            • Key Activities
            • Key Partners
      • Industrial Revolutions
      • Meet the Lorax
      • Practice Sustainable Manufacturing
      • Secondary Science
      • Solve Problems and Make Decisions
      • Use Design Thinking
      • Use Text Sets >
        • Text Sets At-risk Turtles
        • Text Sets Adopt a Road
        • Text Sets Recycle
      • Sustainable Development Goals >
        • SDG Ask the Right Questions
        • Good Life Goals
      • Toy Story: Trash to Treasure
      • Use the Arts to Inspire Change
      • Waste Not Want Not >
        • Waste Not Food Waste Lessons and Websites
        • Waste Not Composting Resources
      • Water
    • Decision Making >
      • Nearpod Lessons Part 1
      • DecisionMaking2
      • DecisionMaking3
      • DecisionMaking4
      • DecisionMaking5
      • DecisionMaking6
      • Peter Rabbit Decisionomics
  • register

Sustainability Superheroes blog

Using 
​Using Entrepreneurial Thinking and Decision-making
Picture
Picture
 an
​Created by:
University of South Florida Stavros Center
With generous funding from:
​The Coca Cola Foundation and Coca-Cola Beverages Florida, LLC
USF Stavros Center

Teachers Turn Trash Into Treasure at Toy Story-Themed Workshop

9/13/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
On Thursday 9/5/19, K-12 teachers from all over Tampa Bay attended one of the many Sustainability Superheroes workshops at the USF Stavros Center, where they received training on how they can teach kids about sustainability issues our world is facing.

A crucial part of reaching sustainability is creating and encouraging a circular economy, where items are made, used and recycled. One way to accomplish this is to reuse and/or repurpose household items instead of throwing them away. For example, anyone can find plastic bottles or empty cereal boxes around the house and reuse them for a fun project or a toy. Sustainability Superheroes hosted a Toy Story-themed workshop called “From Trash to Treasure” where teachers discovered how plastic toys and their manufacturing hurt the environment and break the circular economy. The workshop was hosted by Dr. Deborah Kozdras, Chief Creative Officer of the USF Stavros Center, and Angel Danger from Hillsborough County Schools. 
​
Teachers started by sorting and categorizing toys while discussing how their physical properties and manufacturing promote the threatening linear economy where items are made, used and disposed, which negatively affects the planet. According to the Tara Ocean Foundation, 8 million tons of plastic wash into the sea worldwide each year, and by 2050, it is predicted that plastics will outweigh fish in the ocean.

It was finally time to close the loop and start repurposing by making toys. Teachers designed and constructed their own versions of Toy Story 4 character, Forky, out of plastic bottles, forks, spoons, cups and leftover craft supplies. Using what most people call trash can actually be turned into treasure!
Picture
Picture
Teachers showed their talent and creativity in arts and crafts and were having a fantastic time. There were so many incredible variations of the Forky character, including Hurricane Dorian! (pictured below) This helped teachers gain inspiration on activities and ideas they can use with their students that are not only fun, but also teach them to get creative with their toys and use sustainable methods.
Picture
Doing activities like this with your students or children at home are essential to promoting a circular economy, which leads us to a world with less waste and healthier environments.

​The USF Stavros Center has plenty more workshops coming up, so be sure to visit
https://www.usf.edu/education/stavros-center/programs/ to attend and be a Sustainability Superhero! If you missed the Toy Story workshop, check out our resources page here where you can have full access to lesson plans and videos on plastic pollution and manufacturing.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Authors

    Created by Deborah Kozdras, USF Stavros Center

    Archives

    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    October 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
Photo used under Creative Commons from Theme Park Tourist
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Resources
    • Resources from Workshops >
      • Sustainable Cities and Communities SDG11
      • GLOBAL LITERACY: INDUSTRIES, INNOVATION, AND INFRASTRUCTURE
      • Buy The Change You Want to See
      • Save the Ocean
      • America Recycles Day
      • Ask the Right Questions
      • Birds, Bees, Flowers, Trees
      • Circular Economy
      • SDG 101
      • Earth Day Every Day >
        • Text Sets K-2
        • Text Sets 3-5
      • Energy
      • Frozen
      • Garbage Solutions
      • Gardening
      • In Kindergarten >
        • In Kindergarten Bees
        • In Kindergarten with Peter Rabbit
        • In Kindergarten with the Lorax
      • Rethink Tank
      • In the Shark Tank >
        • Business Model Canvas >
          • Ideation
          • Value Proposition >
            • Customer Segments
            • Value + Customer Testing
            • Channels
            • Customer Relationships
          • Revenue
          • Costs >
            • Key Resources
            • Key Activities
            • Key Partners
      • Industrial Revolutions
      • Meet the Lorax
      • Practice Sustainable Manufacturing
      • Secondary Science
      • Solve Problems and Make Decisions
      • Use Design Thinking
      • Use Text Sets >
        • Text Sets At-risk Turtles
        • Text Sets Adopt a Road
        • Text Sets Recycle
      • Sustainable Development Goals >
        • SDG Ask the Right Questions
        • Good Life Goals
      • Toy Story: Trash to Treasure
      • Use the Arts to Inspire Change
      • Waste Not Want Not >
        • Waste Not Food Waste Lessons and Websites
        • Waste Not Composting Resources
      • Water
    • Decision Making >
      • Nearpod Lessons Part 1
      • DecisionMaking2
      • DecisionMaking3
      • DecisionMaking4
      • DecisionMaking5
      • DecisionMaking6
      • Peter Rabbit Decisionomics
  • register