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Sustainability and Recycling Facts & Worksheets

Sustainability is all about using the Earth’s resources at a rate that can be maintained and without disrupting the ecological balance of the planet.

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Sustainability is all about using the Earth’s resources at a rate that can be maintained and without disrupting the ecological balance of the planet. It’s also about finding a balance between meeting the needs of the modern world without compromising on modern living.

See the fact file below for more information on the sustainability and recycling or alternatively, you can download our 27-page Sustainability and Recycling worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

Definition and Importance of Sustainability

  • Sustainability focuses on addressing current needs while also making sure to avoid jeopardizing future generations’ ability to fulfill their own.
  • Sustainability directs people to structure their choices taking into consideration the impact of their actions in different aspects (environmental, social, human, etc) for the long term. As a result, short-term achievements or gains are given less focus or emphasis.
  • Thinking in the long term makes one consider other internal and external factors that could benefit or negatively affect the situation.
  • Sustainability drives creativity while seeking to protect our natural environment, and human and ecological well-being. At the same time, it avoids compromising one’s way of life.

Challenges to Sustainability

  • Often, the current economic system rewards unsustainable practices. This monopolizes wealth, prolongs the status quo, preserves the power hierarchy, and limits the ability to design and build a new system that serves people and the environment in a sustainable and humane manner.
  • To help address this, all government officials need a better understanding of the healthy relationship between ecology and economy, and to be better informed about what true sustainability entails.
  • Industrialized agricultural systems often lead to higher chances of disease among animals and people. These conditions are also inhumane for the animals and increase greenhouse gas emissions. Industrial agriculture also reduces soil quality and causes water pollution, damaging the long-term productivity of the soil.
  • Another challenge to sustainability is how the environment has been treated as a pool of resources for business. All human actions take a toll on the environment. Despite the fact that environmental policies have been enacted, they are unable to safeguard nature’s rights. They do nothing but slow the pace at which nature is degraded.

Countries Taking Part in Sustainable Practices

  • Denmark has declared a target of achieving 100 percent renewable energy by 2050. Wind turbines currently provide 40 percent of their electricity. Sanso is already powered entirely by renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and biomass. Cycling is popular throughout the country, particularly in Copenhagen, which has 400 kilometers of bike paths intricately woven throughout the city. As a result, there has been an improvement in air quality.
  • Switzerland has made great leaps in sustainability. The management of waste and recycling is a top priority; all waste is properly disposed of, and the rest is converted to electricity. The majority of the energy is provided by hydroelectricity, which reduces the country’s total carbon footprint. The Swiss conserve land and designate these areas as National Parks in order to preserve water quality and biodiversity.
  • Swedish inventors have been working on emerging technology that will operate entirely using renewable energy and recycled materials. “Passive houses” have been designed to use heat energy from human activities and sunlight to minimize energy consumption. Stockholm’s Central Station, for example, captures body heat from ordinary travelers. District heating for apartment buildings employs this principle as well. While cycling is encouraged, public transport runs on biogas and renewable energy.

Definition and Benefits of Recycling

  • Recycling is the method of gathering items that would otherwise be discarded as waste and transforming them into new goods. Society and the world will also benefit from recycling.
  • Some of the benefits include: the conservation of natural resources such as wood, water, and minerals, increased economic stability by using a domestic content source, the reduced amount of waste sent to landfills and incinerators, reduced waste and need to collect new raw materials, and lastly the conservation of energy.

How to Recycle

  • Recycling is a three-step process that must be done consistently. It is represented by a symbol of three arrows in a continuous loop.
  • The first step in recycling is to collect recyclable materials. These can be collected through different methods including drop-off centers, curbside collection, and deposit or refund programs. After collecting the items, they are sent to a recycling center to be sorted, cleaned, and turned into something that is to be manufactured. Recyclables are bought and sold in the same way that raw materials are, with prices fluctuating based on supply and demand in the area.
  • The second step is to manufacture the recycled content. There are many household items that contain recycled materials. You may be surprised to find out that newspapers, paper towels, aluminum, plastic, steel cans, and other items contain recycled materials. Recycled materials are also used in novel ways, such as in the paving of roads with reclaimed glass or in carpeting and park benches with recovered plastic.
  • The last step in the cycle is to purchase new items made from recycled materials. In stores, look for products that contain recycled content.

Terms Used for Recycled Products

  • Recycled-content product – The product is made either from recycled materials that were obtained through a recycling program or waste that was recovered during the manufacturing process. On occasion, the label will state how much of the content was made from recycled materials.
  • Post-consumer content – Although the material is close to recycled content, it is derived solely from recyclables obtained from customers or businesses through a recycling program.
  • Recyclable product – After they’ve been used, goods that can be stored, processed, and manufactured into new ones. These items may or may not contain recycled materials. Remember that not all recyclables are collected in your region, so consult your local recycling program before purchasing.

Sustainability and Recycling Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the sustainability and recycling across 27 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Sustainability and Recycling worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the sustainability which is all about using the Earth’s resources at a rate that can be maintained and without disrupting the ecological balance of the planet. It’s also about finding a balance between meeting the needs of the modern world without compromising on modern living.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Sustainability and Recycling Fact File
  • Word Web
  • It’s a Challenge!
  • Helping Out at Home
  • Sustainability Over Profit
  • City of Dreams
  • Impactful Actions
  • Color the Cycle
  • Recycle Puzzle
  • Let’s Recycle Together
  • I Pledge

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Link will appear as Sustainability and Recycling Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, May 5, 2021

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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