Zero Waste High School Forum for Students
Last modified: March 22, 2019


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Objective

A Zero Waste forum for high school students allows your organization to capitalize on all the work done to set up a larger public event by the hosting of a second session that appeals to a different audience. It also allows you to plant a seed among those who will be entering the job market as Zero Waste is implemented over the next decade. Finally, the school forum can be a venue for troubleshooting prior to a general public event.

How To Do It

Note: if you hold a student forum on the same day as a larger public event, the speaker, A/V equipment, visual aids and facility that have been reserved for the public event could be used for a forum earlier in the day. If the public event facility is not available at the time of day you need it, one of the high school auditoriums would work well.

Step 1: (4 months before the event) Research the names of science/social studies teachers at local high schools that might be able to fit a study of Zero Waste into their curriculum. Also find out the names of teachers who sponsor student councils, leadership groups and environmental clubs. Create an invitation flyer and mail this directly to each of the teachers you identify.

Step 2: (3 ½ months before the event) Conduct follow-up calls with the teachers to discuss the event and entice them to sign up.

Step 3: (3 months before the event) Make arrangements with a local bus company or the school district's transportation department to provide busing for classes to the event.

Step 4: (one month before the event) Send a letter to each participating teacher confirming the date and time of the forum, the number of students attending, and the bus pick-up and return times.

Step 5: (2 weeks before the event) Confirm the bus schedules for student pick-up. Contact each teacher to make sure all logistics are understood and that you are on both the teacher's and the students' calendars.

Step 6: (2 weeks before the event) Finalize the schedule for the forum, including the persons who will do introductions and any time adjustments needed to keep things moving for this age level (see "Sample Schedule for School Forum").

Step 7: (2 weeks before the event) Create a version of the Zero Waste idea contest flyer that includes an evaluation at the bottom for students to fill out (see "School Zero Waste Idea Contest Form".

Step 8: (at the event) Have four staff or volunteers to greet buses and get students quickly seated in the auditorium. These persons will also pass out contest entry forms and pencils at the end of the session and collect the forms at the doors as students leave the forum.

  • Tips
    Fund the buses and the substitute teachers needed for the class to attend. Without these the teachers are not likely to be interested.
  • High school teachers have little room in their curriculum for extras, so a lot of one-on-one "sales" calls may be needed to get full sign-up.
  • Multiple reminders to teachers are needed to be sure classes that sign up actually show up.
  • Overbook the seats. At this grade level, some of the students in each class will not come with the group because they can't miss other classes.
  • Keep the program moving quickly and include substantial time for discussion to keep the students' interest.
  • If the prizes for the Zero Waste idea contest are impressive, have them or a representation of them on stage to encourage participation in this activity.
  • If the event is planned for the spring semester, give teachers as much lead-time as you can when announcing the event. Four months is a minimum.

Here's some info on Eco-Cycle's Earth Day 2000 Zero Waste High School forum that may be helpful to you:

  • Seven out of 11 attending teachers needed substitutes.
  • Five staff persons worked the event for 3 hours each. The project coordinator spent approximately 25 hours to accomplish the steps outlined above. The most time- consuming step was the phone calls to secure teacher/class attendance at the event.
  • The room held 200 people. Two hundred and ten students were signed up. Only 125 showed up due to the reason stated in the tips above and a memorial service that was taking place at one of the high schools.
  • Seven half-day substitute teachers cost $425. The total for six buses hired through the two school districts involved was $335.

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