Welcome to my zero waste atelier!

Zero waste is about making intentional choices regarding the resources we use, the life cycle of those resources and materials, and the trash we send to the landfill. 

Adapting zero waste principles in my personal life has altered how I see our classroom space. Applying the same level of earth-conscious awareness in my classroom as I do at home can be a difficult balance while continuing to provide a rich learning environment.  

The impact humans have made on the earth makes it imperative for us to shift our thinking about the life cycle of the materials we use. This thinking shouldn’t stop at the classroom door; it should be incorporated into the classroom, including the art space.  

Our atelier has gone through one of the biggest transformations in our school so far. I would like to share my thinking process and actions with you as I continually transform it into a zero waste space.  

Rather than using brand-new, single-use, polluting materials, I have shifted to using natural, repurposed and authentic materials.  

When I am considering materials for the atelier, a few questions come to mind. 

Is there a more sustainable material I can use instead? Is this the only material that will provide this learning experience for the children?  

Consider making a suncatcher. You can either have children use laminating paper to make it transparent, or you can use tissue paper which is biodegradable and compostable. Both let the light through, but one is more environmentally-friendly.  

Repurposed materials 

When considering repurposing a material in the atelier, I ask myself:  

Is the landfill the only place left for this item? Is there another, more long-term, use for it? 

If an item is already destined for the landfill, consider using this item to give it a second life. Think of those leftover tiles or carpet scraps; basically any material you deem safe could be used for children’s construction, collage and art. I see value in using these materials because they represent what children are surrounded by, giving them a realistic, authentic feel. 

If the material could be used for a more permanent project, let’s say tiling a small bathroom floor, for example, then I would consider the pros and cons of using this material in the classroom versus a project like that. 

How long is the life of this item in each circumstance? Do the benefits of the children’s learning outweigh ending this material’s cycle of reuse? Again, is there another material that would give the same learning experience, but would have a smaller impact on the environment and its resources?

Plastic-based recyclable materials 

If this item can be recycled, will it no longer be recyclable once it has been used for art? Would it have a longer life by being recycled instead of used for art?

If you’re using recyclable, plastic-based materials in your atelier, I challenge you to use them in more long-lasting projects that you or families will want to display for years to come. For example, check out this Chihuly-inspired chandelier made with plastic water bottles by middle school students.

By using this item, am I encouraging others to continue buying in unsustainable ways?  

If you are collecting recyclable items from the community for your atelier, consider including a message encouraging alternative, more sustainable buying practices. For example: in the art project shown above, the students may have emailed classmates and teachers, asking them to donate empty plastic water bottles for use in their project. To promote sustainability, they may also have included a note of encouragement for their classmates and teachers to consider using reusable water bottles in the future. 

It’s a tough balance between providing a rich learning environment while also allowing for the fullest life of the materials you use. These are all great questions to ponder as you think about what you use in your space.  

Compostable materials 

Compostable, recycled materials are used often in our atelier, like cardboard tubes. However, like any paper, they may no longer be considered recyclable when paint is applied. Similarly, if acrylic paints (and many types of glue) are used on paper, it is no longer compostable. Since I use natural, biodegradable paint and glue, composting is a way to discard this art when it no longer serves a purpose in the home or classroom. 

Keep in mind that bleached, colored and/or printed paper may not serve a compost pile well due to the inks and chemicals used to create them. Again, you can see there is a delicate balance when choosing what to use. We use scrap printer paper that has been donated to us, giving it a second life before it is recycled into something new. After an art piece is made with this paper, and the project cannot be discarded through recycling or composting, I feel okay knowing that we are still using a product that will break down quickly.

I avoid store-bought materials like puff balls and glitter that are not environmentally-friendly and have to be sent to a landfill when they are no longer usable. Even my floor sweepings are compostable because I no longer have glitter mixed in! 

Natural materials 

Conflicting questions aren’t as prevalent when considering natural materials in the zero waste classroom because they sustain our planet rather than pollute it. 

Nature provides many wonderfully colored and textured materials for children’s creations. In the spring, summer and fall, we collect materials to keep our shelves engaging all year long.

When harvesting natural materials, collect sparingly in each natural place, so you don’t deplete the land. (That would be the opposite of sustainability!) Even the leaves on the ground have a purpose: to shelter the creatures during winter and nourish the ground in the spring, to name a few. Be knowledgeable of the seasons and life cycles and mindful of the purpose behind those cycles.  

Get creative when looking for natural items, like asking for donations of old petals from flower shops or stale spices from people’s kitchens. 

Here’s a list of some of the materials we have in our atelier:

• dried leaves and flowers
• yarn
• earth clay
• dirt
• sticks
• wooden popsicle sticks
• watercolors
• toothpicks
• beads made of shells, glass, and wood
• corncob silk
• colored pencils
• newspaper and magazine alphabet clippings
• pine needles
• pinecones
• rocks
• cattails
• bark
• dried moss
• feathers
• wire
• scrap paper
• salt
• cardboard egg cartons
• tissue paper
• homemade playdough
• biodegradable paints and glue
• flower petals

Check out Suzanne Axelson’s blog, Interaction Imagination, for another teacher’s perspective on this topic: 

https://interactionimagination.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-story-of-sustainability.html?spref=tw