Episode 104 - Recycling

Eco Company is hanging out at the California Academy of Sciences again, and this time our first two stories are about recycling. Recycling is so very important to reducing our collective Carbon footprint! Up first Adam visits a materials recovery facility to see what happens to all of the stuff we put into our recycling bins. How is it sorted and what do they do with it? Then he gets a lesson in the 4 “R”s. Yes, there are 4...reduce, reuse, recycle and ROT…or composting. Knowing the importance of the 4 Rs will help you walk a green path in life.

So here's a great way to reuse...if you have the talent. We found a teacher who is sharing her talent and teaching others at the same time. Jessica met up with Charlotte Kruk who teaches art at a high school in San Jose, CA. But her art class gets all of their raw materials from discarded recyclable stuff. But there's more to the story. This art teacher is a fashion designer and uses candy wrappers to make all of her clothes! This you have to see.

Next Jordan moves on to the school cafeteria. The menus at most school cafeterias are filled with pizza, corn dogs, grilled cheese and such...all simply pulled from the freezer and heated up. But this cafeteria is different. It is run by Ann Cooper, affectionately called the renegade lunch lady. Why, because she is on a mission to change menu and provide fresh, organic and healthy foods for students. Jordan caught up with her to get the whole story.

Finally, Eco Company hits the road on a bike, but not your ordinary bike. Of course bikes are a great way to reduce fuel consumption, save energy, get exercise and enjoy the great outdoors. But Brendan found a bike maker in Santa Cruz, CA who has taken sustainability a step further. He makes his bikes from bamboo instead of aluminum, titanium or other metals. It's a great way to use a renewable resource to make a zero energy form of transportation even more eco-friendly!