Curriculum pushes lessons in litter prevention, waste reduction

An anti-litter group wants area teachers to instruct elementary school children on litter prevention and reducing waste.

Representatives of the Keep Southeast Missouri Beautiful organization met Tuesday afternoon at the Missouri Conservation Department Nature Center with about a dozen area principals and educators.

Organization spokesman Tim Arbeiter and Cape Girardeau County Auditor David Ludwig, the group's president, explained the program to educators.

Each school administrator was given a three-ring binder containing 33 "Waste in Place" lesson plans for students in kindergarten through sixth grade.

The focus of the program is on prevention of littering and graffiti, as well as cleanup and waste disposal, Arbeiter said.

"Simply, the program is an all-encompassing way of teaching waste responsibility to our youth," Arbeiter said.

"It's not just limited to science and math," Arbeiter said. The curriculum's lessons include everything from creating anti-litter logos in art class to anti-litter songs in music class.

The goal, he said, is to educate children about litter prevention and reducing waste at an early age. "The earlier the better," he said.

The curriculum is tied to national education standards, he said.

Originally introduced in the United States in 1979 by the national Keep America Beautiful organization, the lesson plans are now used by thousands of schools.

Local principals said the curriculum's detailed lesson plans in all subject areas could make it easier for teachers to incorporate anti-litter lessons into their classroom instruction.

"The planning has all been done," said Jefferson Elementary School principal Mark Cook.

Both Arbeiter and Ludwig said they thought the meeting went well.

Arbeiter said it's just the first step in trying to get schools to include anti-litter lessons in the classroom.

2,976 hours of cleaning

On another front, the Keep Southeast Missouri Beautiful group said volunteers collected 58,320 pounds of litter, debris and bulky waste from the cities of Cape Girardeau, Jackson and Scott City and from Cape Gir-ardeau County during a three-month period ending May 31.

More than 700 volunteers spent a combined 2,976 hours cleaning up the region.

That included cleaning up litter along 26 miles of roads, 405 acres of parks and public lands and three miles of Cape LaCroix Creek, Arbeiter said. In addition, five homes on the south side of the city of Cape Girardeau were painted in an effort to spruce up the neighborhood, he said.

The local cleanup efforts were done as part of the Great American Cleanup program in communities across the nation, Arbeiter said.

"It is astounding to see the results of our Great American Cleanup. It really takes everyone chipping in to make our area litter-free and beautiful," he said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123