Genius Hour Introduction

What is waste exactly? And why should we care about how much we make?

                In the past, environmental conservation was not a popular idea. For the most part, that has changed in the past two decades. Educators have took it upon themselves to teach children about the importance of taking care of our planet, the main argument is that this is our only world, so why wreck it?

                I have always been in love with our home, Earth. From an early age, conservation of energy, water and resources has been a passion of mine. I obtained a BA in Geography and Environmental studies, and I plan on using that knowledge and my passion for conservation throughout my life and especially in the classroom.

                As an future educator, I strongly believe that we can always learn new things, and that we can always better ourselves. I consider myself an environmentalist and conservationist, but I also think I can improve my personal Ecological Footprint . It is with this belief that brought me to my Genius Hour Question:

Can I successfully make my kitchen, a 
No-Waste kitchen?

                To start, I do not think I am wasteful person. I am already an avid recycler which cuts down the amount of garbage I make quite a bit, but I could do better. What I am going to attempt to do through this activity is completely eliminate the need for a garbage can in my kitchen. I will be attempting to re-structure my diet to an extent but also how and where I buy food in a way where the only by-products from the food I consumer will be either put in the recycling bin or the compost bin.

               

I quickly realized that in order to complete this goal, I will automatically need to get:

-            Loads of reusable containers

-             Loads of reusable bags

-           A tight sealing composts bin for inside my kitchen (tight sealing is key, because compost is rather smelly)

-            Cleaning products that do not need to be thrown away

I have also realized there are key parts of how and where I will get my food. I believe my best friend for this assignment will be farmers markets or wholesale locations. I will also need to find a butcher and a baked goods location that will allow me to walk in and give them my own bags to hold the various meats and breads I will consume.

                I am very excited to start this project, but I am just as excited to present my findings in a educational way so that someone could follow in my footsteps very easily.

               

Let’s get started!