Resource-Go-Round

Take a look at the pencil in your hand: Do you know where it came from? Most pencils are made out of wood, but the answer may not be as simple as “the pencil came from a tree”. A single pencil may have incense cedar from California, pumice from Italy, rubber from Brazil, copper from Canada and graphite from Sri Lanka. Most of the products we use are made from natural resources that come from a variety of sources. The production, distribution and disposal of products, such as pencils, requires natural resources and energy every step of the way. As consumers we should be aware of the natural resources and energy required to produce the products that we use. Use Project Learning Tree’s “Resource-Go-Round” to explore the cycle of natural resources from raw materials to the eventual disposal or recycling of the product. By examining the cycles of the products we use, students can learn to make choices that lead to responsible and sustainable uses of our natural resources.

Enrichment activities:
Students can follow a locally made and produced product from the local raw materials to the final end product ready for use.

Students can explore a local natural resource that is used to make a global product, such as local mining or timber resource.


Book List

Grades PreK-2
Asimov, I. 1992. Where Does Garbage Go? Gareth Stevens Audio.
Cast, C.V. 1994. Where Does Pollution Come From? Barron's Educational Series, Incorporated.
Deedy, C.A. and L.L. Seeley. 1994. Agatha’s Feather Bed: Not Just Another Wild Goose Story. Peachtree Publishers.
Earthworks Group. 1990. 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth. Andrews McMeel Publishing.
Fuzellier, M. 1994. Rufus Recycles Paper. Child's World, Incorporated.
Gibbons, G. 1996. Recycle!: A Handbook for Kids. Little, Brown Young Readers.
Gifford, C. 2008. Materials. Roaring Brook Press.
Green, J. 2005. Why Should I Recycle? Barron's Educational Series, Incorporated.
Hare, T. 1991. Recycling. Scholastic Library Publishing.
Harlow, R. 2001. The Environment. Houghton Mifflin Company.
Harlow, R. 2002. Garbage and Recycling. Houghton Mifflin Company.
Hennessey, B.G. and L. Cravath. 2001. One Little, Two Little, Three Little Pilgrims. Penguin Young Readers Group.
Jacobs, F. 1996. Follow That Trash: All about Recycling. Penguin Group.
Leedy, L. 2005. The Great Trash Bash. Holiday House.
Leeper, A. 2004. To a Garbage Dump. Heinemann.
Lepthien, E.U. 1991. Recycling. Scholastic Library Publishing.
Martin, B. Jr. 2006. I Love Our Earth. Charlesbridge Publishing.
McQueen, K. and D. Fassler. 1991. Let's Talk Trash: The Kids' Book about Recycling. Waterfront Books.
Priceman, M. 2008. How to Make a Cherry Pie and See the U.S.A. Random House Childrens Books.
Roca, N. 2007. Three R's: Reuse, Reduce, Recycle. Barron's Educational Series, Incorporated.
Salvo-Ryan, D.D. 1994. City Green. HarperCollins Publishers.
Showers, P.1994. Where Does the Garbage Go? HarperTrophy.
Stecker, R. 2002. Recycled! Capstone Press.
Stille, D.R. 2005. Natural Resources: Using and Protecting Earth’s Supplies. Capstone Press, Inc
Taback, S. 2000. Joseph Had a Little Overcoat. Penguin Group.
Testa, F. 2001. Too Much Garbage. North-South Books.
Wallace, N.E. 2003. Recycle Every Day! Marshall Cavendish Corporation.
Weber, R. 2002. Waste Not: Time to Recycle. Capstone Press.

Grades 3-5
Amos, J. 1995. Waste and Recycling. Steck-Vaughn.
Arthus-Bertrand, Y., et al. 2004. Future of the Earth: An Introduction to Sustainable Development for Young Readers. HNA Books.
Ball, J. 2003. Conservation and Natural Resources. Gareth Stevens Audio.
Berry, J.W. 2001. Every Kid's Guide to Saving the Earth. Warehousing & Fulfillment Specialists, LLC.
Binns, T.B. 2005. Clean Planet: Stopping Litter and Pollution. Heinemann Library.
Collard, S.B. 2000. Acting for Nature: What Young People around the World Have Done to Protect the Environment. Heyday Books.
Elkington, J., D. Hill, J. Hailes, and J. Mekower.1990. Going Green: A Kid's Handbook to Saving the Planet. Viking Children's Books.
Harlow, R. 2002. Pollution and Waste. Houghton Mifflin Company.
Holmes, A. 1993. I Can Save the Earth: A Kid's Handbook for Keeping Earth Healthy and Green. Silver Burdett Press.
Kalman, B.D. 1991. Reducing, Reusing and Recycling. Crabtree Publishing Company.
Landau, E. 2002. Earth Day: Keeping Our Planet Clean. Enslow Elementary.
Love, A. and J. Drake. 2006. Trash Action: A Fresh Look at Garbage. Tundra.
McQueen, K. 1991. Let's Talk Trash: The Kids' Book about Recycling. Waterfront Books.
Nelson, S.E. 2006. Let's Reduce Garbage! Capstone Press.
Nielsen, S. 1993. Trash! Trash! Trash! ABDO Publishing Company.
Ostopowich, M. 2003. Science of Waste: Refuse, Misuse, and Reuse. Raintree Publishers.
Parker, S. 2002. Wood (Science Files Series). Gareth Stevens Publishing.
Saunders-Smith, G. and K.M. Krebs. 2006. Let's Recycle! Capstone Press.
Schwartz, L. and B. Armstrong. 1990. Earth Book for Kids: Activities to Help Heal the Environment. Creative Teaching Press, Inc.
Skidmore, S. 1991. What a Load of Trash!: Rescue Your Household Waste. Lerner Publishing Group.
Taylor, B. 2001. How to Save the Planet. Scholastic Library Publishing.
Whyman, K. 2004. Plastics and the Environment. Stargazer Books
Woods, S.G. and G. Zucker. 1999. Chocolate: From Start to Finish. Cengage Gale.

Grades 6-8
Becklake, S. 1991. Waste Disposal and Recycling. Scholastic Library Publishing.
Binns, T. 2004. Clean Planet: Stopping Litter and Pollution. Heinemann Library.
Blashfield, J.F. 1991. Recycling. Children's Press.
Bowden, R. 2002. Waste, Recycling and Reuse: Our Impact on the Planet. Raintree Publishers.
Braus, J. 1991. Pollution: Problems and Solutions (Ranger Rick’s Naturescope Series). National Wildlife Federation.
Clare, P. 2009. Living Green: Saving Our Earth. Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.
Earthworks Group. 1990. 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth. Andrews McMeel Publishing.
Foster, J. 1991. Cartons, Cans, and Orange Peels: Where Does Our Garbage Go? Houghton Mifflin Company.
Gay, K. 1993. Caretakers of the Earth. Enslow Publishers, Incorporated.
Gutnik, M.J. 1993. Recycling: Learning the Four R's: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Recover. Enslow Publishers, Incorporated.
Hall, E.J. 1997. Garbage. Gale Group.
Lambert, D. 1986. Pollution and Conservation. Bookwright Press.
Lindeen, C.K. 2007. Natural and Human-Made. Pebble Books.
McKay, K., J. Bonnin, and D. de Rothschild. 2008. True Green Kids: 100 Things You Can Do to Save the Planet. Natl Geographic Soc Childrens Boks.
McQueen, K. & Fassler, D. 1991. Let’s Talk Trash: The Kid’s Book About Recycling. Waterfront Books.
Miller, C. 1986. Wastes. Franklin Watts.
Morgan, S. 2009. Natural Resources. Black Rabbit Books.
Nardo, D. 1992. Recycling. Thomson Gale.
Newton, D. 1990. Taking A Stand Against Environmental Pollution (Taking a Stand Series). Franklin Watts.
O’Connor, K. 1989. Garbage. Lucent Books.
Orme, H. 2008. Living Green. Bearport Publishing Company, Inc.
Rhatigan, J. and H. Smith. 2003. Awesome Things to Make with Recycled Stuff. Lark.
Schwartz, L. and B. Armstrong. 1990. Earth Book for Kids: Activities to Help Heal the Environment. Creative Teaching Press, Inc.
Showers, P. 1994. Where Does the Garbage Go?. Thomas Crowell.
Silverstein, A. 1992. Recycling: Meeting the Challenge of the Trash Crisis. Penguin Group.
Skidmore, S. 1991. What a Load of Trash!: Rescue Your Household Waste. The Milford Press, Inc.
Smith, H. and J. Rhatigan. 2002. Earth-Friendly Crafts for Kids: 50 Awesome Things to Make with Recycled Stuff. Lark Books.
Snodgrass, M. 1991. Environmental Awareness: Solid Waste. Bancroft-Sage Publishing Inc.
Spilsbury, R. and L.A. Spilsbury. 2006. Earth’s Resources. Chelsea House Publishers.
Stille, D.R. 2005. Natural Resources: Using and Protecting Earth’s Supplies. Capstone Press, Inc
Vogel, C.G. 2003. Human Impact. Scholastic Library Publishing.
Wines, J. and S. Horne. 2008. You Can Save the Planet: 50 Ways You Can Make a Difference. Scholastic, Inc
Woodburn, J. 1993. Garbage and Recycling. Gareth Stevens Audio.

Grades 9-12
Camp, W.G. 2000. Managing Our Natural Resources. Thomson Delmar Learning.
Collard III, S. 2000. Acting For Nature: What Young People Around the World Are Doing to Protect the Environment. Heyday Books.
Cozic, C.P. 1997. Garbage and Waste. Thomson Gale.
Gay, K. 1991. Garbage and Recycling. Enslow Publishers, Incorporated.
Haley, J. 2002. Pollution. Thomson Gale.
Kimball, D. 1992. Recycling in America: A Reference Handbook. ABC-CLIO, Incorporated.
Middleton, J. 1989. Atlas of Environmental Issues. Facts on File, Incorporated.
Parks, P. 2004. Global Resources. Cengage Gale
Riley, T. 2007. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Green Living. Alpha Books.
Rogers, H. 2006. Gone Tomorrow: The Hidden Life of Garbage. New Press.
Roleff, T.L. 1999. Pollution. Gale Group.
Rhatigan, J. and H. Smith. 2003. Awesome Things to Make with Recycled Stuff. Lark.
Sivertsen, L. and T. Sivertsen. 2008. Generation Green: The Ultimate Teen Guide to Living an Eco-Friendly Life. Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group.
Smith, A.M. 2008. 50 Plus One Tips for Going Green. Gale Cengage Learning.
Stein, K. 1997. Beyond Recycling: A Re-user's Guide. Clear Light Publishers.
Stille, D.R. 2005. Natural Resources: Using and Protecting Earth’s Supplies. Capstone Press, Inc.
Strong, D.L. 1997. Recycling in America: A Reference Book. ABC-CLIO, Incorporated.
Tammemagi, H.Y. 1999. Waste Crisis: Landfills, Incinerators, and the Search for a Sustainable Future. Oxford University Press.
Winters, A. 2006. Destruction of Earth’s Resources: The Need for Sustainable Development. Rosen Publishing Group, Incorporated.