Ecomaine offers online recycling education to bridge gap of social distancing

With many Maine schools closed, students learning at home, and teachers and parents employing new techniques to educate children amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Portland, Maine-based Ecomaine unveiled a series of resources for remote learning about recycling, waste management and sustainability.

Ecomaine, which normally offers tours and presentations throughout the year to students and adults, has temporarily halted public, in-person education because of virus concerns. However, its full-time education staff has rolled out a number of videos, activities and webinars specifically designed to provide at-home education regarding Ecomaine’s operations and commitment to sustainable waste management.

“With April, and Earth Day in particular, coming right up, we know that Ecomaine can be a great resource for teachers and students who have an interest or project in sustainability, recycling or earth science,” Ecomaine Communications Manager Matt Grondin says. “We’re glad to have some great materials available to share with Maine’s education community.”

Available on Ecomaine’s website are a variety of videos, including virtual tours of the organization’s recycling facility and waste-to-energy power plant, recorded presentations, webinars, and informational clips. Also available are activities for younger learners, such as coloring sheets, mazes, dot-to-dot activities and links to lesson plans for activities such as papermaking and Ecomaine’s online “Wicked Smaht Recycler” game.

“We know that Ecomaine is a source of great education to people in Maine,” Ecomaine CEO Kevin Roche says. “In the last year, we’ve reached 50,000 people—many students, but adults, too—through our outreach program, and we want to be sure that we’re still filling that need, especially through these challenging times.”

“Especially in April, we see teachers reaching out for education around sustainability, so we want them to know that, in between math and reading, we’re here for them during Earth Month and beyond, and we’ve got new resources coming each week,” Ecomaine Senior Environmental Educator Katrina Bussiere-Venhuizen says.

Ecomaine’s educational resources are available by emailing info@Ecomaine.org or going to Ecomaine.org/learn.