Key Topics & Learning Objectives
Waste to Resources
National Key Topics & Learning Objectives
Ohio is one of the most densely populated states in the United States, with just over 11.6 million people calling it home. Like many populous areas, Ohio is tasked with servicing its residents while also sustaining its natural resources across diverse geographic regions.
As a by-product of its robust population, the state is faced with the responsibility of managing different types of waste generated by individuals, households, communities, businesses, manufacturing, agriculture, and industry. Waste of all kinds has the potential to affect the environment and our natural resources. From the water we drink to the land we live on, our decisions about how to manage waste impact our communities and the world around us. How can we make responsible choices about our waste? How can we manage our growth in a way that is sustainable? How can we turn our waste into resources?
These challenges make Ohio well positioned to enact innovative and creative solutions for managing its wastes regeneratively, turning them into resources through restoration, repurposing, and recycling for the benefit of the natural environment and future generations.
Students will learn the concepts of different waste streams and the impacts of waste generation and disposal on natural resources and society. Students will also learn effective ways to manage waste regeneratively; as well as the social, economic, and political impacts of turning waste products and degraded lands into resources.