4-H Our environment ProjecT
The “Our Environment” 4-H project is designed to educate youth about the importance of protecting our environment and natural resources. Participants will explore various environmental issues, learn about sustainable practices, and develop skills to make a positive impact on their communities. This project encourages critical thinking, problem-solving, and active participation in environmental stewardship.
Categories - Beginner (Grades 3-5), Intermediate (Grades 6-8), Advanced (Grades 9-12)
Manual - None
Record Sheet - Boone County Our Environment Record Sheet or No Exhibit Record Sheet
Exhibit - Category
Overview
The “Our Environment” 4-H project is designed to educate youth about the importance of protecting our
environment and natural resources. Participants will explore various environmental issues, learn about sustainable practices, and develop skills to make a positive impact on their communities. This project encourages critical thinking, problem-solving, and active participation in environmental stewardship.
Objectives
· Understand the environmental concepts of natural resources and conservation.
· Identify local environmental issues and their impact on the community.
· Learn about sustainable practices such as reducing waste, reusing discarded materials and recycling.
· Learn how to protect resources like fossil fuels and minerals for future generations.
· Develop and implement a community service project focused on environmental improvement.
· Foster a sense of responsibility and commitment to protecting the environment.
Exhibit Guidelines
All posters, notebooks, and display boards must include a reference list indicating where information was obtained, giving credit to the original author, to complete the 4-H member’s exhibit. This reference list should/might include web site links, people and professionals interviewed, books, magazines, etc. It is recommended this reference list be attached to the back of a poster or display board, be the last page of a notebook, or included as part of the display visible to the public. A judge is not to discredit an exhibit for the way references are listed. Posters are to be 22”x28” and displayed horizontally and placed in a clear plastic sleeve or covered with clear plastic to protect contents. Display boards should be designed to sit on a table using no more than 36” of tabletop space. Space should be left in the lower right-hand corner to place an exhibit tag provided by Purdue Extension staff. Judges evaluating exhibits should recognize individual differences, age related creativity, therefore using information in this document as a guide rather than a requirement. Each exhibit is recommended to be accompanied by a record sheet.
Exhibit Class Guidelines
(All projects should be age appropriate)
Beginner (grades 3-5) Ideas for the exhibit:
1. Make a useful or decorative object from any discarded items.
2. Make a poster or an illustrated notebook.
-A recycling center in your home
-How you can conserve water
-What happens when our waterways get polluted
-What should go in the trash and in the recycling bins where you live
-Where environmental litter goes when not picked up
-Explain the three “R’s” of recycling
-How can you reduce waste
-How can you reuse what you have
-Read a magazine article about our environment and make a poster on the topic covered
3. Build a 3-D model of a:
-Landfill
-Composting system
-Municipal Watershed
-Build a model of an ecosystem or a sustainable home
Intermediate (grades 6-8) Ideas for the exhibit:
1. Make a useful or decorative object from any discarded items.
2. Make a poster or an illustrated notebook. Some ideas:
-Renewable and non-renewable resources
-What can be recycled where you live
-Where trash goes
-How paper is recycled
-How aluminum cans are recycled
-How plastic is recycled
-How glass is recycled
-Explain the recycling symbols
-How to conserve and recycle water
-How to prepare materials for recycling
-How to make a compost pile
-How to identify aluminum products and which ones can be recycled
-How everyday actions can lead to big changes
-Set up a recycling center for you or your family and make a poster on the results
-Create a display board showcasing your research on a specific environmental issue
-Do a community service project on recycling, neighborhood clean-up, adopt a highway, volunteer with your community’s earth day or solid waste district educational program and do a poster on your activities
3. Build a 3-D model of a:
-Landfill
-Composting system
-Municipal Watershed
-Build a model of an ecosystem or a sustainable home
Advanced (grades 9-12) Ideas for the exhibit:
1. Make a useful or decorative object from any discarded items.
2. Make a poster or an illustrated notebook. Some ideas:
-Turning waste into opportunity
-The power of recycling
-Watersheds and pollution
-How are recyclables separated in Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs)
-Waste-to-Energy Processes
-What is a Circular Economy
-Renewable and Non-Renewable Resources
-List of household hazardous waste and how to dispose them
-How to recycle on a farm
-How to recycle batteries
-How landfills are built
-How to compost at home
-Set up a recycling center for you or your family and make a poster on the results
-Create a poster showcasing your research on a specific environmental issue
-Do a community service project on recycling, neighborhood clean-up, adopt a highway, volunteer with your community’s earth day or solid waste district educational program and do a poster on your activities
3. Build a 3-D model of a:
-Landfill
-Composting system
-Municipal Watershed
-Build a model of an ecosystem or a sustainable home
Suggested Activities:
1. Field Trips: Visit local parks, nature reserves, recycling centers, or water treatment plants to observe
environmental practices in action.
2. Workshops: Participate in workshops on topics such as composting, recycling, renewable energy,
water conservation and pollution prevention.
3. Research Projects: Conduct research on a specific environmental issue, such as climate change,
deforestation, or water pollution, and present findings on a poster.
4. Community Service: Organize or be part of a community clean-up day, start a recycling program at school or at home.
5. Guest Speakers: Invite environmental professionals, such as park rangers, conservationists, solid waste District educators or scientists, to share their expertise and experiences.
Project Outcomes:
1. Increased knowledge of environmental issues and sustainable practices.
2. Hands-on experience in environmental conservation and community service.
3. Development of leadership and teamwork skills through project planning and implementation.
4. Enhanced awareness of the importance of environmental stewardship in daily life.
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