Utah

Aluminum Can Recycling Drive

We started a recycling aluminum can drive at Cottonwood High School and Agricultural Classes in the Granite School District, in Salt Lake City, Utah. We did this drive to reduce Salt Lake City's carbon foot print, interest students in caring for the environment, and to increase recycling. To accomplish the drive we had to get it approved by school officials, figure out away to collect and transport cans, and we had to find away to motivate students to participate. We collected cans in the morning on Mondays, brought them to a students house, and transported all the cans in the last week of the drive to a recycling center; to motivate students, we offered a pizza party to the class that collected the most cans; and to get it approved by school officials, we wrote a letter and presented our project idea to our school principle and to the Agricultural Adviser of the ag classes. This project was inspiring, because it started with three students, and expanded to include the entire community. We saw kids pulling cans out of trash, and some met us in the halls, not only to give us cans, but to tell us they appreciated what we were doing; they cared. In total we recycled over 8,000 cans which translated to over 7,000 pounds of carbon that were saved from release into the atmosphere.

Check out other Roots & Shoots Groups in Utah!

1.   High Country Roots & Shoots

Location: Park City, Utah

Goal: “Help our planet, and each and every one of its inhabitants.”

 http://highcountryrootsandshoots.com/

2.  Westminster College Roots & Shoots 

Location: Salta Lake City, Utah

Goal: To foster respect and compassion for all living things. To promote understanding of all cultures and beliefs. To inspire each individual to take action to make the world a better place for the environment, animals, and the human community. 

http://www.westminstercollege.edu/roots/