Environmental Education

On this page, explore:

Virtual education resources on the topics of waste reduction, landfilling, composting, recycling, and environmental protection for:
- Community members and lifelong learners
- Students and teachers
Reduction and reuse resources
Repair resources including Do-It-Yourself options and local repair experts

Do you need translated guides or educational materials for a group or event? The Resource Management Division has a variety of outreach materials, and several digital and print-friendly documents translated into English, Spanish, French, and Arabic available at no cost.

Contact the Recycling Coordinator for resources at jwilch@iowa-city.org or at 319-887-6110.

Websites listed below are not exhaustive and do not reflect City endorsement or support of products and services. Follow all safety precautions when doing projects and activities.

Community Resources

Lifelong learners and community members interested in learning more about the environment can access several free resources.

Local Lessons and Resources

Climate Action website offers several resources and reports that highlight local climate action efforts, greenhouse gas emissions reporting, and climate projections.
Love Food, Fight Waste is a program that offers community members resources and information on how to reduce food waste.
Directories:
Self-guided lessons (PDF format) on these topics are available at no cost by contacting the Recycling Coordinator at jwilch@iowa-city.org or 319-887-6110:
- Compost and Food Waste
- Hazardous Material
- Landfilling
- Materials
- Waste Reduction
- Water
Videos:
- How Does a Landfill Work? video provides an overview of how a landfill cell is built and how it operates to ensure environmental protection (City of Iowa City).
- How to Recycle Glass in Iowa City video provides an overview of glass recycling in Iowa City and the recycling process (City of Iowa City).
- Iowa City Landfill and Recycling Center Tour video gives an overview of services and wayfinding.
- Hazardous Material Collection Facility video covers facility information, what hazardous material is, and why proper disposal is important.
- Iowa City's Water Purification Process video (City of Iowa City)
- Why flushable wipes shouldn't go in the toilet video (City of Iowa City)

School Resources

School resources are organized into environmental topic areas for students and teachers for easy navigation. Grade levels for each resource are identified by letter abbreviations after each resource name to signify if the resource is applicable to preschool and kindergarten, elementary, middle, or high school learning levels. Note: Many lessons are adaptable to other grade levels depending on need.

Grade Level Identification

PK = Preschool & Kindergarten
E = Elementary School
M = Middle School
H = High School

Lesson Plans and Curriculum for Teachers

The following are websites comprised of a variety of prepared lesson plans and curriculum on topics of environment and waste reduction that are most helpful to teachers (K-12 grade levels represented).

Books Read Aloud: Video Recordings (PK, E):

Choose to Reuse by Lisa Bullard (Theresa True Life I'm a Teacher)
Curious George Plants a Tree by Margret and H.A. Rey (Storytime TV)
Earth Day Every Day by Lisa Bullard and Xiao Xin (PV Storytime)
How to Help the Earth By The Lorax by Tish Rabe (PV Storytime)
I am Earth by Rebecca and James McDonald (Mrs. Rebecca's Read Aloud)
I Can Save the Earth by Alison Inches and Viviana Garofoli (PV Storytime)
It's Earth Day! by Mercer Mayer (Happy Cultivated)
Nipi and Mother Earth by Government of Saskatchewan (Kids Play And Learn)
The Earth Book by Todd Parr (PV Storytime)
Trashy Town by Andrea Zimmerman and David Clemesha (AHEV Library)
What Happens to Our Trash? by D.J. Ward (BrowardEnvironment)

Composting and Food Waste Resources

Compost with Peppa Pig! video (PK) teaches you how composting works.
Peg + Cat: Curious About Compost PBS Kids video (PK) teaches you what can be composted and how it works.
Composting Coloring Book (E): Learn all about composting while you have fun coloring (Georgia Recycles)!
Food Waste Curriculum (E): Several prepared lessons are available on food waste topics including why food waste is bad for the environment and ways to reduce food waste (Purdue Agriculture).
Teacher’s Guide to Compost Activities (E, M, H) offers several lessons that teach how composting works, which living things help to decompose organic material, ways to reduce food waste, how to build a compost system, and the environmental benefits of composting (Central Vermont Solid Waste Management District).
The Compost Story video (H) teaches you about the importance of and science behind composting and includes a Teacher Curriculum Guide (Kiss The Ground).
The Soil Story video (H) teaches you about soil science and how healthy soil plays a vital role in a healthy environment and climate, and includes a Teacher Curriculum Guide (Kiss The Ground).
Food Waste Lesson & Activity Toolkits (PK, E, M, H) (WWF)
- A Little Food Waste Leads to a Lot (K-2 Toolkit)
- Food Waste Hurts Our World (3-5 Toolkit)
- How Much Food Is Wasted Each Year? (6-8 Toolkit)
- Equipping Food Waste Activists (9-12 Toolkit)

Environment and Climate Resources

Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming video (PK) teaches you what fossil fuels are, how the earth is warming, and how you can help protect the environment (Happy Learning).
Milo Learns Not to Waste video (PK) teaches you how to save water and energy, and not waste food (KidsFlix).
The Ecosystem video (PK, E) teaches you what an ecosystem is (Happy Learning).
Climate Change video (E) explains what climate change is (Smile and Learn).
Earth Day Word Search (E) (Crayons & Cravings)
What's the difference between weather and climate? video (E) (TEDEd)
AirNow (E, M) offers teachers several air quality and air pollution lesson plans (AirNow).
Teaching Kids to Conserve Energy at Home resources (E, M) provide teachers with several approaches to educate on energy conservation (EPA).
Can wildlife adapt to climate change? video (H) (TEDEd)
Carbon Cycle video (H) examines how carbon enters and interacts with the earth's atmosphere and living things (TEDEd).
Connecting Ecosystems and Human Health lesson (H) includes several educational materials and activities to teach about how humans impact and are impacted by their surrounding environment (EPA).
The Plain English Guide to the Clean Air Act lesson (H) includes a booklet about the law, how it impacts you and how it benefits the environment (EPA).

Hazardous Material Resources

Scott The Recycle Guy - Household Hazardous Wastes video (E, M) teaches you what hazardous material is, why it can be dangerous, and how to safely dispose of it (dphilms).
- Note: While this video is set in Scott County, Johnson County has a similar facility that accepts hazardous material at no cost from Johnson County residents. In addition, the Iowa City Landfill houses a product exchange room called the "Swap Shop" where residents can get gently-used products at no cost.
Symbols and Placards on Hazardous Products video (H) explains what the different symbols mean on hazardous products you may have in your home (iHASCO).
Why Dispose of Household Hazardous Materials (HHMs) Properly video (H) educates on the negative impacts of improper disposal of hazardous material, and about how you can properly and safely handle and dispose of them (Iowa DNR).
- The local Hazardous Material Collection Facility at the Iowa City Landfill is where residents of Johnson County can take hazardous material at no cost.

Waste Reduction Resources

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Song video (PK) is a fun, musical way to learn how to reduce waste (Silly School Education).
Recycling video (PK) with Peppa Pig teaches you what recycling is and what types of things can be recycled (Edinburgh Recycle).
Reuse and Recycle to Reduce Waste! video (PK) teaches you how to reuse and recycle lots of different stuff (Counting with Paula).
Garbage video (PK) shows that a lot of stuff ends up in the trash that could have been reused, recycled, or composted (Loop Scoops).
Recycle City (E): This program offers students an interactive experience as they tour a sustainable community. They will learn how Recycle City is working hard to recycle, reduce energy use, and be more sustainable (EPA).
How Does a Landfill Work? (M, H) video provides an overview of how a landfill cell is built and how it operates to ensure environmental protection (City of Iowa City).
What’s a smartphone made of? video (M, H) (TEDEd)
The Lifecycle of a T-shirt video (M, H) provides a glimpse into the major environmental impacts of one t-shirt (TEDEd).
A Brief History of Plastic video (M, H) covers how plastic was invented, how plastic production became successful, and environmental impacts (TEDEd).

Water Resources

The Water Cycle video (PK) teaches you how water moves across land and in air (Peekaboo Kidz).
Freddy the Fish Teaches About Stormwater video (PK, E) teaches you what stormwater is and where it goes (NCTCOG E&D).
Water Pollution video (PK, E) teaches you about how water gets dirty and why that is harmful to the environment (learning junction).
Water Cycle video (E) teaches you how water is constantly moving over land and through the atmosphere (Happy Learning).
Exploring Your Watershed Lesson (E) includes outlined activities to learn about watersheds with a teacher's guide included (EPA).
Acid Rain Teacher's Guide (M) includes several lessons about the impacts of acid rain, how you can make a difference, and experiments (EPA).
How Do Water Treatment Plants Work? video (M, H) teaches you about where your tap water comes from and how it is cleaned for safe drinking (Concerning Reality).
How Do Wastewater Treatment Plants Work? video (M, H) teaches you about what happens to the water that flows down the drain or flushes down the toilet (Concerning Reality). Additional wastewater treatment resources:
- Why flushable wipes shouldn't go in the toilet video (City of Iowa City)
- How Do Sewer Systems Work? video (Concerning Reality)
Where Does Stormwater Go? video (H) teaches you about urban stormwater management (Practical Engineering).

Reduction and Reuse

Reducing waste and reusing items are all about our behaviors and habits. Changing behaviors can sometimes seem difficult, but the good news is that there are a lot of easy, simple steps you can take that make a big difference over time.

Reduction and reuse are first priorities before recycling and composting, because they prevent waste from being formed in the first place. Waste prevention saves energy and resources, preserves landfill space, and reduces our greenhouse gas emissions in Iowa City.

Iowa City Resale and Consignment Directory: This guide provides a list of local secondhand and consignment stores in Iowa City and Coralville.

Resources

Upcycle

Upcycling is taking an item, that would have otherwise ended up in the trash or recycling bin, and giving it a new use or purpose. Upcycling oftentimes involves some creativity and craftiness, and in a lot of cases, can be quite simple

Rag Rug Making (City of Iowa City)
- - Making T-Shirt Yarn (video)
  - Weaving T-Yarn into Rag Rug (video)
Plastic Bottle Bird Feeder (Inhabitat)
No-sew T-shirt Reusable Bag (Mommypotamus)
More upcycling resources:

Simplify

The Story of Stuff: Check out this website for information on current issues and resources on how to take action to reduce plastic pollution.
30 Day Unshopping Challenge: This challenge encourages us to take a break from shopping, and to use this time for more meaningful experiences that bring us joy.

Earth-Friendly Shopping

Iowa City Resale and Consignment Directory: This guide provides a list of local secondhand and consignment stores in Iowa City and Coralville.
The Book End sells gently used fiction, general nonfiction, cookbooks, poetry, history, biographies, young adult, and children’s books, as well as DVDs and audiobooks on CD.
Freecycle.org is another great resource that supports local reuse. This website is a platform for locals to post items they wish to get rid of or need. The items are free, and it is free to participate.

Borrow, Check Out, Rent

Iowa City Area Rental Item Directory offers a variety of rental opportunities in our community for equipment, supplies, tools, and more.
Little Free Library Map

Reduce Food Waste

Love Food, Fight Waste is a program that offers community members resources and information on how to reduce food waste.
Are you a restaurant wanting to reduce food waste? Check out the ReFed Restaurant Food Waste Action Guide.
Have food that could be donated?
- Table to Table is a local non-profit organization that rescues edible food and delivers it to organizations in Johnson County that can use it.

Eco-friendly Alternatives

Drinking Beverages: Choose a reusable water bottle or mug.
Shopping: Remember the importance of consumer choice. You make a vote for the products you want on the shelf with what you choose to spend money on. Choose products that are local, sustainably-made, Fair Trade, recycled-content, recyclable, reusable, durable, or organic.
- For grocery shopping, have a strategy in mind before walking in the store. Make a list, and only buy the food that you know you can eat. For more great tips on reducing food waste, check out Love Food, Fight Waste.
Drying Hands or Dishes: Reach for a cloth towel at home the next time you wash your hands or dishes.
Meal Time: Opt for cloth napkins for your next meal; only plate what you know you can eat; save leftovers for later.
Reading: Check out a book from the library. Sharing, or reusing books is a great way to reduce environmental impact. Did you know that you can also check out movies, music, and artwork from the library? More information at the Library's website.

Repair (Fix It and Do-It-Yourself)

Save some money and reduce waste by fixing what you already own instead of buying new. Mending torn clothing, adding a coat of paint to an old table, or replacing a damaged bike tire are just a few examples of “making do” instead of buying new.

Follow all safety precautions when doing your own repairs. For broken or expired safety devices, such as bike helmets, child car seats, and smoke detectors, it is recommended that these devices be replaced instead of repaired.

This section provides a variety of repair resources and tutorials for different areas of home and lifestyle.

Online Repair Resources

Looking for simple and affordable ways to fix or repair items around the house yourself? The following websites have a wealth of information for those interested in Do-It-Yourself (DIY), and have a large library of tutorials for all sorts of common at-home items.

Some of us are not DIY-ers, and that is fine. There are plenty of professional repair options available in our community.

For local repair services in the area, view the Iowa City Area Repair Directory.

Repair Categories

Below are featured tutorials, with tons more available at the online repair resources. For more DIY tutorials and repair recommendations, explore the websites above.

Appliances and electronics