Grade 5/6 (Science and Social Studies)
What they’ll learn:
Garbage may not be a pretty subject but it is a serious environmental issue, and the tour will emphasize that garbage should not be considered an out of sight, out of mind issue. Tour site pairings include a transfer station, a scrap metal recycling yard, the Waste-to-Energy incinerator, a wastewater treatment plant, and an industrial organics digestion (composting) facility. All of these facilities will allow students will see (and smell) firsthand the facilities responsible for dealing with the huge amount of waste we produce through our daily consumption habits. Students will learn about where garbage goes and the longevity of the Vancouver and Cache Creek landfills, along with corresponding impacts on drinking water, wildlife, climate change, and human health. Additionally, students will learn about waste diversion and the corresponding savings in water, energy, and greenhouse gases over raw extraction. Garbage and recycling statistics will be discussed, and waste-reducing behaviour will be emphasized.
Dates
Waste-to-Energy Facility and ABC Recycling
Full day
District: all
Lions Gate Wastewater Treatment Plant and the North Shore Transfer Station and Montenay Waste-to-energy
Full day
District: North Vancouver, West Vancouver
Lions Gate Wastewater Treatment Plant and Vancouver Transfer Station and ABC Recycling
Full day
District: North Vancouver, West Vancouver
ABC Recycling and Montenay Waste-to-Energy Facility
Full day
District: all
Note: All half day tours include a tour to one of the locations listed above
Tours are intended for groups of 30 students. Full-day tours are $550. Please consider the additional cost for a TOC, if necessary.
As a non profit, all money generated from the tours:
- Help offset operational costs (fuel, driver, insurance, etc)
- Assists lower income schools
- Covers some fees for the site
- Pays for instructional material and workshop materials (for particular tours)