February Activity – My Ecosystem - The ACTiZENS' Club Programme by Desh Apnayen

INTRODUCTION

When waste is not properly disposed of, it causes harm to the environment which further affects living beings. Similarly, improper e-waste disposal harms the ecosystem and has a negative impact on the health of those who live in it. 

E-waste management is defined as a method to remove e-waste from the environment in a safe and scientific manner to avoid its negative damaging effects on the environment. It includes recycling, refurbishing, and reusing e-waste that has outlived its usefulness.

In this month, our activity is based on Goa’s E-waste management giving us an opportunity to protect our mother earth in our own possible way.

EXPECTED OUTCOMES

To understand the importance of disposing e-waste to balance the ecosystem.
To know about a few ways of managing the e-waste to balance the ecosystem.
To participate in the ecosystem restoration process through small steps.
Skills – Team Spirit, Observation and Analytical skill.

SESSIONS’ OVERVIEW

S. No.

Session Details

Estimated Time Required

Kindly follow, Step 1 to Step 6

Reflection sheet and Feedback form

45 Minutes approximately

MATERIAL REQUIRED

e-waste items list, plain paper

STEPS OF THE ACTIVITY

Main Activity Day

Introduction

Tell the students about e-waste that the electronic items that are broken or not usable are referred to as e-waste. Electronic items such as computers, televisions, VCRs, mobile phones, stereos, copiers, old sim cards and fax machines are disposed when they become defective or obsolete.

The toxic chemicals present in the e-waste releases into the atmosphere when it warms up. The lead, zinc, barium etc, found in electronic waste tend to harm human health. Also, when e-waste meets the land on the earth, the toxic chemicals seep into the soil and water, leading to groundwater pollution that further impacts sea health and human health & life, creating an imbalance in the ecosystem.

Let us take steps to curtail this environmental issue-

Introduce the activity by asking questions like,

Name a few e-waste causing items that you have seen around you.
What do you usually do with the old electronic items?
Why is it important to ensure proper disposal of e-waste?

Let the students come up with answers. Discuss the answers in the class. After the discussion, tell the students that we will know more about e- waste disposal through this activity.

Step 1: Grouping

Divide the students into 3 groups.

Reuse Group
Reduce Group
Recycle & Repair Group

If the group size upon division into 3 groups is too large, then for each category make two groups resulting into six groups instead of three. Ensure each group should not have more than 6-8 participants to ensure maximum participation.

Step 2: Brainstorming in groups.

After the grouping students will do the activity in their respective groups.

Let all the students sit in their own groups.
Ask them to brainstorm about the e-waste they have seen in their home and surroundings. Then discuss any five ways to reuse/reduce/recycle & repair e-waste as per their group category and mention it in their tabulation sheet. Give 10 minutes for this work.
Then each group can give a verbal presentation on the mentioned points.

A small tabulation to consolidate their thoughts

S.no.

Reuse Group

Mention e- waste Item names

Write any five ways you can reuse e-waste

a).

b).

c).

d).

e).

Example of a way: Pencil cells from the Battery-operated toys can be reused in wall clock as a clock needs less power to function than a battery-operated toy.

S.no.

Reduce Group

Mention e- waste Item names

Tell any five ways you can reduce e-waste

a).

b).

c).

d).

e).

Example of a way: Reduce the use of electronic devices where use of manual devices can be done with minimum effort.

Recycle Group

Mention e- waste Item names

Tell any five ways you can recycle & Repair e-waste

a).

b).

c).

d).

e).

Example of a way: Recycle old electric bulbs for its glass component.

Step 3: Presentations.

After the brainstorming session each group will present their points in front of the other students.
Each presentation can be of 3-4 minutes.
The brainstorming sheets/charts can be displayed on the notice boards after the presentations are done.

Note: If more number of groups are made, teacher can reduce the presentation time of same category group by avoiding repetition of points.

Step 4: Debrief

Teachers are requested to do a debrief session with all students to try and understand-

How was your experience of e-waste awareness activity?
How does e-waste harm us?
How will Reduce/Reuse/Recycle & Repair drive of e-waste help our planet earth?
Which component of an alert, informed and active citizen is covered in this activity?

Step 5: Homework

After the displays/presentations, Students will plan how they will put their learnings into action by Reusing/Reducing/ Recycling e-waste seen around them at home.

(Optional)Students can collect e waste in groups and handover the e-waste to the collection centre agent or visit the centre with representatives.

Note: list of few authorised collection centres is given along with contact numbers. Students can call on the given numbers 15 days in advance to call the collection agent to school on the given date.

Step 6: Reflection Sheets & Feedback Form

Teachers to kindly fill in the feedback form and remind students also to fill up the reflection sheets.