Garbology

Mrs. Graham’s grade 5/6 class got a chance to meet a self-described "world-renowned garbage expert" today – Dr. Payou – who made a surprise visit to the school to thoroughly examine what was in the class garbage, and what clues that can give about the behaviour and lifestyle of the group she is studying. Students and expert alike were surprised to discover the food waste, compost, re-usable items and the recyclables that were found in the garbage, and spent some time thinking of ways to minimize "garbaging" mistakes, as well as the actual amount of garbage produced. The class also heard what Madeline’s grandma had to say about how the waste we produce has changed so much even over her lifetime. After last week’s lesson on the history of waste, Madeline emailed her grandma to see what’s different. Her grandma pointed out things like, "We have literally tons more garbage now than when I was a little girl", and , "We have become a throw-away society". She provided examples of how little packaging there was ("We bought very little canned or packaged products"), and if it was there, how it was using more natural materials ("Meat was wrapped in brown paper"). There were so many great examples given on how, in a relatively short amount of time, so much has changed in how we buy and consume our food and household goods. Thanks for that, Madeline (and Madeline’s grandma)!