With many Maine schools closed, students learning at home and teachers and parents employing new techniques to educate children, nonprofit ecomaine has unveiled a series of resources for remote learning about recycling, waste management and sustainability.
Ecomaine, which normally offers tours and presentations throughout the year to students and adults alike, has temporarily halted public, in-person education due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, its full-time education staff have rolled out a number of videos, activities and webinars specifically designed to provide at-home ways to learn about ecomaine’s operations and commitment to sustainable waste management.
“With April, and Earth Day in particular, coming right up, we know that ecomaine can be a great resource for teachers and students who have an interest or project in sustainability, recycling or earth science. We’re glad to have some great materials available to share with Maine’s education community,” said Communications Manager Matt Grondin in a statement.
A variety of videos are available on ecomaine’s website, including virtual tours of the organization’s recycling facility and waste-to-energy plant, as well as other recorded presentations, webinars and informational clips. Also available are activities for younger learners, such as coloring sheets, mazes and dot-to-dot activities; links to lesson plans for activities such as papermaking; and ecomaine’s online Wicked Smaht Recycler game.
“We know that ecomaine is a source of great education to people in Maine,” said ecomaine CEO Kevin Roche in a statement. “In the last year, we’ve reached 50,000 people—many students, but adults, too—through our outreach program, and we want to be sure that we’re still filling that need, especially through these challenging times.”
“Especially in April, we see teachers reaching out for education around sustainability, so we want them to know that, in between math and reading, we’re here for them during Earth Month and beyond—and we’ve got new resources coming each week,” added Senior Environmental Educator Katrina Bussiere-Venhuizen in a statement.