Recycling Poster Contest All students in Fairfield public and private schools and youth organizations are invited to showcase their artistic talent and their commitment to the environment by participating in the Fairfield County s recycling poster contest. Deadline for entry is November 16, 2012. One (1) winner will receive the honor of having his/her artwork for one of Fairfield County s Recycling s billboard. They will also be recognized by the Fairfield County Council and Fairfield County s Recycling Department in January, 2013. The student(s) with the winning entries from the winning schools/classrooms will receive a recycled-content tote bag filled with recycling educational materials. One grand-prize winner will earn a free Pizza Party for their classroom/homeroom and a saving bond in their name. CONTEST RULES The attached pages provide the rules for our poster contest. Please make as many copies as you need. Information on solid waste reduction, reuse, recycling, and buying recycled products can also be found on our Website: www.fairfieldsc.com/publicworks/recyclingcontest/resources. *Please read the following contest rules carefully. Only posters that meet the contest rules will be considered. DEADLINE Posters should be received by Coordinator, C/O Jake Gaston no later than November 16, 2012. Mail entries early. Posters will be judged in March and winners will be notified as soon as possible. We hope your school, organization, or business will participate in this worthwhile event and we look forward to working with you. Please contact me if you have any questions. Sincerely, Jake Gaston Fairfield County Recycling Coordinator jgaston@fairfieldsc.com Please share this information with others who may be interested! 1
Recycling Poster Contest Rules Eligibility All students in Fairfield County public and private schools and youth organizations are eligible. Poster Requirements Posters created by students must be their own original artwork. Copyrighted characters (such as Superman) or copyrighted clip art will not be accepted. Materials: Students may use a variety of media, such as watercolor, pen and ink, crayon, chalk, markers, computer graphics, etc. Brighter colors, however, reproduce better for the Billboard, light pencil marks will not show up. Students are encouraged to incorporate recycled or recyclable materials in their creations. Keep in mind most posters will likely be on public display and should be easy to see or read. NOTE: If students are incorporating recyclables into their artwork, depth is restricted to half an inch. Size & Layout: Minimum: 8 1 /2" x I I" Maximum: 11" x17" LANDSCAPE LAYOUT ONLY Release Form: Each poster must have the Release Form (page 6) securely fastened to the back of the poster. A poster not accompanied by a completed Release Form will not be eligible for further judging. Submitting Posters: Posters, with Release Forms, must be received no later than November 16, 2012. Send posters to: Poster Contest P.O. Drawer 60 Winnsboro, South Carolina 29180 Each participating school, organization, or business is permitted to submit up to fifteen (15) posters. How your school, organization, or business decides on the fifteen (15) posters is up to you. Some may wish to have a contest and choose the entries; others may just have the art teacher, principal, or group leader choose. Themes Students are encouraged to share their views on the following themes. See page 4 or visit our Web www.fairfieldsc.com/publicworks/recyclingcontest/resources site for information on and links to the benefits of waste reduction, recycling, composting, and buying recycled products. Composting: Nature's Own Way of Recycling Recycling + School = Cool! Short-Circuit Your E-Waste, Recycle! Recycling Has Benefits Beyond the Bin 2
Judging Procedure The posters will be grouped into one of the following four grade categories: Kindergarten through 2 nd Grade 3 rd through 5 th Grade 6 th through 8 th Grade 9 th through12 th Grade The three (3) best posters in each grade category will be judged based on the judging criteria listed below. Four finalists will be awarded in each grade category; only winners will be notified. Judging Criteria I. Clear message conveyed by the text and artwork. 2. Creativity, originality and artistic quality. 3. Visual clarity - easy to read. 4. One of the poster themes listed on page 2 is addressed. Awards School, Organization and Business Level: Each student participant should receive a "Certificate of Recognition" (master copy enclosed, page 7) to acknowledge their effort. Please photocopy as many as you need. Winners: The Four finalists in each grade category will receive a recycled-content frame for their artwork. In addition, each winning student will receive the honor of having his/her artwork displayed in a poster that will be distributed throughout Fairfield County. The winners schools will receive 25 posters and other recycling educational materials. One grand-prize winner will earn a free Pizza party for his/her classroom/homeroom and a savings bond in their name. Please Remember: Up to fifteen (I5) entries may be submitted by each school, organization or business. Entries must meet the poster requirements specified on page 2 and must have the Release Form on page 6 securely fastened to the back of the poster. All artwork submitted becomes property of & SCDHEC of Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling and may be reproduced. 3
Themes Composting: Nature ' s Own Way of Recycling Composting is the easiest way to turn garbage into valuable material while keeping it out of landfills. As garbage decays in landfills, it contributes to the formation of methane, a landfill gas that has been linked to global warming. Whether you have lots of room for composting piles and bins or live in an apartment, you can compost. It's easy because the decomposing food does the work for you. Mixing kitchen scraps such as vegetable trimmings and coffee grounds with leaves and lawn and garden trimmings will create compost that breaks down quickly and doesn't smell. Try vermicomposting-using red wiggler worms to create the compost. Their hearty appetites will turn a couple of handfuls of dirt and your vegetable trimmings into dark, rich compost in just a couple of months. It's inexpensive because you can use a storage tub, a trash can, or simply pile it in a corner of your yard. And, composting can save you money because you have less trash to go to the curb, you don't have to buy expensive mulch from the garden store, and it makes plants thrive. You create a rich fertilizer and in a small amount of time your composted scraps become a nutrient-rich addition to your garden, plants, and other landscaping. Short-Circuit Your E-Waste, Recycle! When people just throw away electronics it is a waste of very valuable, recyclable resources. Most components in electronic equipment, including the hazardous components, can be safely recycled through proper recycling companies. Disposal is not the answer! It has been estimated that 13,000 computers are disposed of every day in the U.S. Electronic equipment is replaced almost on a daily basis due to upgrades, new features, and changing lifestyles. The impact on the environment of all these products that are no longer wanted or usable is huge. So, when thinking of replacing your electronics, think about whether you can simply upgrade the item you have, whether you truly need all the new features, and most importantly what you will do with the electronics you no longer want or need. Responsible recycling of e-waste keeps both hazardous and usable materials out of landfills. Lead, mercury, cadmium, and brominated flame retardants can leach out of the electronics and can cause environmental problems when disposed of improperly. When choosing to recycle, select a recycler that responsibly handles the e-waste so it does not create environmental and health problems. Recycling + School = Cool! It Adds Up! Many waste materials produced every day in Fairfield County schools -- whether in classrooms, lunchrooms, art rooms, or elsewhere -- can be re-used and recycled! Think about the many kinds of paper, food containers, printer ink cartridges, and unique items that are in your school that could be separated from the trash easily. 4
Almost half of the trash produced at schools is clean paper. In 2008, only 57% of all the discarded paper in the US was recycled; we can do better! Using both sides of a sheet of paper for written work, printing, and copying is important. Share handouts when you can. Encourage classmates to purchase school supplies (notebooks, pencils, backpacks, folders, and more) made with recycled materials. Reduce the waste created in the lunchroom by packing a lunch with reusable containers and utensils. How many cool ways can you reuse a cardboard box at school? An aluminum can collection drive is a good way to earn some money for school clubs and activities, like planting trees on the playground. For more information, go to: www.paperreycles.org and www.epa.gov/recyclecity/school.htm Recycling Has Benefits Beyond the Bin Climate change is a long term shift in the recorded patterns of weather. Climate change affects more than just a change in temperature, precipitation, humidity, or wind. It also affects seasonal changes over a long period of time. Because so many systems are tied to climate, it plays a fundamental role in shaping natural ecosystems, plant and animal lives, how and where people live, food production, availability and use of water, and health risks. How it works: Atmospheric gases called greenhouse gasses affect the Earth's climate by trapping in heat and keeping the planet warm. As the Earth gets warmed by the sun and puts off heat, these greenhouse gases trap it, holding the heat near the surface of the Earth. This is called the greenhouse effect. As levels of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere rise, such as Carbon Dioxide (CO 2 ), they trap in more heat. Burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas adds CO2 to the atmosphere beyond what is normal for the planet and contributes to climate change. So what does this have to do with recycling? As we know, the lifecycle of a product includes raw materials, manufacturing, distribution, use, and disposal. All of these stages produce CO 2. In addition, when organic waste decomposes in landfills, it produces a greenhouse gas called methane, which is 20 times more powerful at trapping in heat than CO 2. Goods made from recycled material mean less energy needed to extract, transport, and process raw materials. This results in a smaller energy demand and fewer greenhouse gases emitted to the atmosphere. Recycling diverts waste from landfills and makes use of materials by turning them into valuable resources. For more information, go to: http:llepa.govlclimatechangelwycdlwaste/ Background Recycling involves the separation and collection of materials for processing and remanufacturing into new products, and the use of the products to complete the cycle. Much of the aluminum, glass, paper and steel used for packaging today is already recycled. Half the nation's aluminum cans are made from recycled aluminum, and one quarter of the raw fibers used in the paper industry are from recycled paper products. Glass and steel used in containers can be recycled over and over. 5
Poster Contest Release Form THIS FORM MUST BE SECURELY FASTENED TO THE BACK OF EACH POSTER. Student Name Home Address City, State and Zip Code Student/Parent E-mail Student/Parent Home Phone Number ( ) School/Organization Grade Teacher/Contact Teacher/Contact E-mail School/Organization Address City, State and Zip Code Phone Number ( ) I hereby certify that this poster was created entirely by the student above and is the student ' s original artwork and there are no copyrighted characters used. I agree that it may be offered for public display or publication at some time during or after the contest. I understand that this poster becomes the property of Fairfield County & SCDHEC of Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling and may be reproduced. The only information that will be released is the student ' s name, school, grade, and hometown. Signature of Student Print Name Date Signature of Parent(s) or Guardian Print Name Date 6