Robert Gardner - Recycle: Green Science Projects for a Sustainable Planet

Everything OLD Is NEW AGAIN

Humans make tons of waste every year, but many of the things that are thrown away could be reused or recycled into something new. This book will guide you through science experiments that will help you learn why recycling is important and what you can do to help our planet. Many experiments include ideas you can use for a science fair project.

"It is essential that we provide young people opportunities to develop a real enthusiasm for sustainability, and this book is full of great ideas."

About the Author

Robert Gardner is an award-winning author of science books for young people. He is a retired high school teacher of physics, chemistry, and physical science. In 2010, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award in Hands-On Science Writing from AAAS/Subaru Science Books & Films.

Theres an old saying that we hear more often as people adopt a green lifestyle: Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without. Things we can reuse include glass and plastic bottles, aluminum and steel cans, paper, cardboard, various plastic containers, ink cartridges, and many other items. Some may be used again and again if we recycle them. We can also find new uses for things we might otherwise throw away. A worn-out shower curtain can serve as a painters drop cloth, an empty plastic butter tub can hold leftover food in the refrigerator, worn-out socks and shirts can be used as dust cloths or to clean up spills, and so on.

In this book, you will learn about recycling and how it can save energy as well as valuable resources that are growing ever more scarce. By doing experiments, you will gain a better understanding of why recycling is important and why it plays a role in creating a greener world.

At times, as you carry out the experiments, demonstrations, and various activities in this book, you may need a partner to help you. It would be best to work with someone who enjoys experimenting as much as you do. That way, you will both have fun with them. If any safety issue or danger is involved in doing an experiment, you will be warned. In some cases, to avoid danger, you will be asked to work with an adult. Please do so. Dont take any chances that could lead to an injury.

Like any good scientist, you will find it useful to record your ideas, notes, data, and anything you can conclude from your investigations in a notebook. By doing so, you can keep track of the information you gather and the conclusions you reach. It will allow you to refer to things you have done and help you do future projects.

Scientists look at the world and try to understand how things work. They conduct research and make careful observations. Different areas of science use different approaches. Depending on the problem, one method is likely to be better than another. Designing a new medicine for heart disease, studying the spread of an invasive plant such as purple loosestrife, and finding evidence of water on Mars require different methods.

Despite the differences, all scientists use a similar general approach in doing experiments. It is called the scientific method. In most experiments, some or all of the following steps are used: making an observation, formulating a question, making a hypothesis (a possible answer to the question) and a prediction (an if-then statement), designing and conducting an experiment to test the hypothesis, analyzing results and drawing conclusions about your prediction, and accepting or rejecting the hypothesis. Scientists then share their findings by writing articles that are published in journals.

You might wonder how to start an experiment. When you observe something in the world, you may become curious and ask a question. Your question, which could arise from an earlier experiment or from reading, may be answered by a well-designed investigation. Once you have a question, you can make a hypothesis. Your hypothesis is a possible answer to the question (what you think will happen). Then you can design an experiment to test your hypothesis.

In most cases, it is appropriate to do a controlled experiment. This means having two groups that are treated exactly the same except for the single factor being tested. That factor is often called a variable. For example, suppose your question is How do the densities of aluminum and steel cans compare? Your hypothesis might be that steel cans are denser than aluminum cans. You could weigh the cans. A large measuring cup could be used to measure the volume of the cans by water displacement. During the experiment, you would collect data. You would measure and record the mass and volume of each type of can. You would then divide the masses by their volumes. By comparing the results, you would draw a conclusion. The procedure is the same for both cansthe variable is the makeup of the cans.

Two other terms are often used in scientific experimentsdependent and independent variables. The dependent variable here is density. It depends on the mass and volumes of the cans. The independent variables are their volumes and masses. After the data is collected, it is analyzed to see if it supports or rejects the hypothesis. The results of one experiment often lead you to related questions. Or they may send you off in a different direction. Whatever the results, something can be learned from every experiment.

Some of the activities in this book contain ideas you might use at a science fair. Those projects are indicated with a symbol (). However, judges at science fairs do not reward projects or experiments that are simply copied from a book. If you decide to use an experiment or idea found in this book for a science fair, find ways to modify or extend it. This should not be difficult. As you carry out investigations, new ideas will come to mind. You will think of questions that experiments can answer. The experiments will make excellent science fair projects, particularly because the ideas are your own and are interesting to you.

Science fair judges tend to reward creative thought and imagination. For example, a diagram or model of a recycling center would not impress most judges; however, a unique way to separate a mix of recyclable items would be likely to attract their attention. It is difficult to be creative or imaginative unless you are really interested in your project. Therefore, try to choose an investigation that excites you. And before you jump into a project, consider, too, your own talents and the cost of the materials you will need.

If you decide to enter a science fair and have never done so, read some of the books listed in the Further Reading section. Some of these books deal specifically with science fairs. They provide plenty of helpful hints and useful information. The books will help you avoid the pitfalls that sometimes plague first-time entrants. You will learn how to prepare appealing reports that include charts and graphs, how to set up and display your work, how to present your project, and how to relate to judges and visitors.

As with many activities, safety is important in science. Certain rules apply when doing experiments. Some of the rules below may seem obvious to you, others may not, but it is important that you follow all of them.