life+cycle+analysis

Show them a coffee cup - paper cup, plastic lid and cardboard sleeve - and discussed what it was made from, where the resources came from and where they would go when I was finished with my coffee. We then had them create a flow chart showing the lifecycle. Small groups shared and we discussed. Then we gave each group an object (best to let them choose from a list, or pick out of a bowl) - simple objects that they use everyday. i.e. pencil, converse sneaker, 3-ring binder, etc - and in small groups they had to figure out the lifecycle of that object. This happened over a few days, they used the internet, etc.