The Synopsys Outreach Foundation Green + 1 Challenge

Both Sides Now!
Increasing Paper Re-use to Reduce Recycling

The following is an example of a year-long cross-grade (e.g. Kindergarten and 8th Grade cross-grade project) classroom project, including a sample timeline and links to the CA Science Standards.
NOTE: This project can be easily adapted to a single-grade project.

The goal of this project is to develop a campaign to increase use of both sides of paper, ultimately reducing the amount of paper designated for recycling.

Suggested Materials:

•	"Both Sides Now" paper bins for each classroom and office
•	Rubber bands
•	File folders (or other "covers")
•	Hole punches (class set)
•	Resources for notebook design and potential usage: www.raft.net/ideas/Journaling%20Your%20Trash.pdf

In this sample project, "Both Sides Now" pairs Kindergarten students with 8th grade mentors. Students work in cross-grade teams to collect paper from the classroom and office bins and to bind the notebooks together. Although the binding procedures can be extremely simple, very young students would need help, and the teacher would need assistants to implement this activity in class.

"Both Sides Now" aligns well to Kindergarten science standards in identification, counting, and conservation of everyday resources. The 8th grade teacher could focus on math skills utilized in calculating impacts.

Suggested activities for students:

•	Monitor the amount of white paper sent to recycling throughout the year.
•	Communicate with teachers and students regarding the separation of paper that has one blank side and is therefore still usable.
•	Regularly collect "one side blank" paper.
•	Create "One Side Blank" notebooks for classroom use and distribution.
•	Research and discuss larger-scale implementation in their community.
•	Record and document processes and data using a variety of media.

Suggested Timeline for Year-long Project

September:

•	Monitor office paper designated for recycling in offices and classrooms to establish a baseline.
•	Assess number of bins that will be required for school implementation.
•	Communicate plan to collect suitable paper and re-distribute "One Page Blank" notebooks for re-use.

October:

•	Acquire and distribute bins in classrooms and offices.
•	Begin weekly collection of suitable paper.

November - April:

•	Continue regular collection of suitable paper.
•	Begin creating and distributing "One Page Blank" notebooks in November; continue each month.
•	Begin documentation of the process in pictures and on video.
•	Continue regular recording of office paper volume sent to recycling from the school site.

March:

•	Incorporate findings, production artifacts (video and images), and produced notebooks into a presentation format.

April and May:

•	Evaluate project and feasibility of continuing the following year and/or increasing level of involvement with community.

Suggested Means of Measuring Impact:

•	Paper from office will be collected during one week after the start of school. Students will separate the double-sided from single-sided sheets, then weigh and count the number of pages.
•	Students will make pie graphs illustrating the percentage of both weight and number.
•	Directly after the "Both Sides Now" project begins, students will repeat the collection, separation, counting, weighing, and graphing.
•	Students will publicize results to school to encourage increased use of "Both Sides Now" bins.
•	Students will repeat collection and quantifying near end of school year to compare and consider need for reminders or encouragement.
•	Students will calculate savings in paper purchased, amount of paper removed from recycling stream, trees not used for paper production, and carbon footprint reduction (trees still in forest, paper not being milled and transported for purchase and recycling).

California Science Standards:

CA Department of Education (www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/documents/sciencestnd.pdf)
Kindergarten:

Earth Sciences
3. Earth is composed of land, air, and water. As a basis for understanding this concept:
c. Students know how to identify resources from Earth that are used in everyday life and understand that many resources can be conserved.

Investigation and Experimentation
4. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept and addressing the content in the other three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations. Students will:
a. Observe common objects by using the five senses.
b. Describe the properties of common objects.
c. Describe the relative position of objects by using one reference (e.g., above or below).
d. Compare and sort common objects by one physical attribute (e.g., color, shape, texture, size, weight).
e. Communicate observations