The students at my children's elementary school participated in a fabulous and creative project that will count as one of the activities to continue their Michigan Green School status this year. The Green Committee initiated a letter-writing campaign to various toy manufacturers on the subject of over-packaged toys. Commitee members went into each classroom, grades 1st - 5th, and conducted a powerpoint presentation on toy over-packaging. Topics included why toys are packaged the way they are; the resources used to make the packaging; how much packaging ends up in landfills and finally brainstorming on how toy packaging can be more eco-friendly. The most rewarding topic for me personally, was getting the kids to understand that they do indeed have a voice. And, that the top-dogs at toy companies are in fact interested in what they have to say. It's called purchasing-power and we all possess it at ANY age. The kids truly felt empowered.
The project was a great way to blend curriculum with a worthwhile green initiative. At the time of this post, the children are finishing up and submitting their letters. The Green committee will sort the letters by toy-maker and send them out collectively and to the respective companies.
Not only did this project gain the support of the teachers and staff, the students were excited and it was of interest to the local news media. These students are expecting that all their efforts will solicit a response from some of their favorite toy-makers. Now, it's up to you Hasbro, Mattel, Spin Master, Lego, Sony/Playstation and Nintendo/DS to listen carefully to what this generation is saying...because they do indeed have alot of good things to say.
You can view the news article here: http://www.dailytribune.com/articles/2009/11/15/news/srv0000006820691.txt
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