Dominica, West Indies is home to Ross University School of Medicine. On the Ross Campus there is a preparatory school for the children of students and staff. In the summer of 2013 I had the privileged to work with the school as part of the Recycling Camp Program.

 

Children who attend the Ross University Preparatory School often come for communities in the United States where there is a strong infrastructure and emphasis on recycling. In Dominica, currently the only place to recycle for members of this community is on campus. Many people live off campus and it become incredibly cumbersome to recycle. The relocation to Dominica is often temporary, for these children. The fear is that without a strong emphasis on recylcing students will be missing out on a key cultural norm for their return to United States. 

 

In collaboration with the Ross University School of Medicine's Health & Environment Club I participated on a comittee that planned a summer program to focus on the multidimensional concept of recycling. A room was designated for recycled materials to be brought in from the student’s homes. We created a tally sheet with each students name on it. For weeks prior to the start date we took a tally of how many recyclables each students brought in. The program began with learning about why recycling is important and where our recyclables go after they leave our hands. We challenged the student’s think up and sketch different eco-oriented characters. With their sketches in hand we divided the children into groups of five. They each had an opportunity to share their ideas and drawings with the group. They then had to choose one idea to pursue from the five proposals. Most groups came up with a hybrid idea. The students had to work together to come up with an elaborate bio and agenda for their characters. Finally, students worked together to fashion the costume. The program culminated with a presentation of the costume and reading of their characters bio. We then dismantled the costumes, divided up the recyclables and placed the materials in their appropriate receptacle to be recycled proposer.