Service -

Learning

Edition 3
It is a method of encouraging student learning and

development through active participation in thoughtfully organized service that is conducted in, and

meets the needs of, a community.

It involves an elementary school, secondary school,

institution of higher education, or community service

program, along with the community.

It helps foster civic responsibility.

It is integrated into, and enhances, the academic

curriculum or the educational components of the

community service program in which the participants are enrolled.

It provides structured time for students or participants to reflect on the service experience.

EPA would like to thank the Corporation for National and Community Service for its assistance in

identifying case studies and reviewing this document prior to publication.
i

Making an Environmental 

Difference:

Service-Learning as a Solid Waste 

Education Experience

S

ervice-learning is more than just a buzzword for community service or volunteering. By participating in an environmental servicelearning project, you are making a difference in your future and 

the future of our planet. Service-learning goes beyond what is learned 

in the classroom. It is a hands-on experience. Students gain new skills 

by working directly with the community. Service-learning enhances 

students’ valuable academic skills, including communication, teambuilding, and critical thinking; builds their self-esteem; and develops 

their sense of responsibility for decision-making.

This booklet contains several service-learning 

projects that focus on various aspects of 

safe solid waste management, such as 

recycling, composting, and reducing 

household hazardous waste. Some 

projects even address the entire 

life-cycle of products by making 

the flow of materials through the 

environment and the economy 

more sustainable. 
ii

Each profile includes contacts who can provide information on how to start 

a similar program in your area. Additional resources, including grants that can 

help you start a project, are located in the back of this booklet.

Whether you are looking for ideas to start a program in your school or a 

service project in your neighborhood, the projects in this booklet will help 

jump-start your efforts. Service-learning projects are one of the best ways to 

make an environmental difference for you and your community.

Toward a More Sustainable Future

D

id you know that every step in the life-cycle of a product, 

from raw materials extraction to final disposal, puts a 

burden on the environment? Consider a service-learning 

project that can help reduce these impacts, like planting a 

vegetable garden to supply your school cafeteria and then 

composting leftover food scraps. You can even put the resulting compost back on your garden to help it grow!
More Ideas

In addition to all the great projects you’ll find in this booklet, here are a few more 

ideas for starting your own service-learning project:

Multifamily dwelling collection days:

Start a volunteer program that picks up recyclables or coordinates household hazardous waste collection days in apartment complexes, senior citizen communities, or 

other multifamily residential areas.

Used clothing or furniture collection days:

Start a neighborhood campaign to collect and donate goods to people in need. Design and distribute flyers to encourage neighborhood participation.

Used shoe collection campaign:

Find out if any organizations sponsor used shoe recycling or donation programs in 

your area. If you find a program, start a used shoe collection campaign in your school 

or neighborhood to give your shoes another life while helping people in need. 

Moving days:

Establish a volunteer service to help people moving into or out of your community 

understand local waste management laws, locate recycling facilities, and properly 

dispose of bulky goods and household hazardous waste items.

For More Information:

EPA Docket Center

RCRA Docket (28221T)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20460-0002

Phone: 202-666-0270

Fax: 202-566-9744

iii
Table of Contents

Kids, Governments, and Businesses 

Volunteers Make the Grade: 

Montgomery County High Schools—

Montgomery County, Maryland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 02

From Coffee to Compost:

Network of Environmentally Conscious 

Organizations (NECO)—Bozeman, Montana . . . . 04

Students Say “Yes” to a Better World: 

San Gabriel Christian School—

San Gabriel, California . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 06

Kids and Neighbors

Blazing the Trail to Recycling: 

Seward Trailblazers 4-H Club—

Nobles County, Minnesota . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 08

From Paper to Flowerpots:

Thayer County Cooperative Extension 

Agency—Hebron, Nebraska . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 

Stewardship in Action: 

Groundwork Providence, Inc.—

Providence, Rhode Island . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

iv
Contents 

Kids and Schools

“Strut” Your Stuff:

Eddyville Charter School—Eddyville, Oregon . . . 14

The Planeteers’ Quest for Sustainability: 

Kaimuki Middle School—Honolulu, Hawaii . . . . . . 16

Seeing Green in Maine: 

Falmouth Middle School—Falmouth, Maine . . . . . 18

Living Sustainably Through Education and Service: 

College of Menominee Nation—

Keshena, Wisconsin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

v
vi
Kids and

Governments & 

Businesses

1
Volunteers Make the Grade: 

Montgomery County 

High Schools

Montgomery County, Maryland

I

n Montgomery County, Maryland, students learn that volunteering can be just as 

important as classroom studies. The state 

mandates that high school students perform 

a certain number of service hours in order to 

graduate. Many students opt to learn about solid 

waste management by donating their time to the 

Recycling Volunteer Program run by the Division of Solid Waste Services. Today, more than 50 

percent of the program’s volunteers are students.

Since 2001, student volunteers have distributed educational materials and answered recycling 

questions for nearly one million residents. The students frequently explain to residents which 

materials are recyclable in Montgomery County, and also discuss related topics such as waste 

reduction, buying recycled products, “glasscycling,” and composting. Since the inception of 

the program, volunteers have provided more than 17,500 hours of service. Their efforts help 

the County come closer to its goal of recycling 50 percent of all waste it generates. 

In addition, students make it possible for the County to attend as many community events 

as possible. They provide assistance at hundreds of educational outreach and collection 

events each year. They also play an integral role in collecting recyclable materials at the 

Montgomery County 

Agricultural Fair, Earth 

Day, and America Recycles Day, as well as at 

special collection events 

for electronics recycling, confidential paper 

shredding, and donation 

collection events. 

•	 Project Type: Recycling, e-cycling, household hazardous

waste and donation events volunteer program

•	 Age Level: High school

•	 Scale of Participation: Individual, small group

•	 Learning Objectives: To provide students with environmental

community service opportunities and educate them about

waste management and recycling

•	 Duration: School year-long program

•	 Available Partnership Opportunities: Schools, local government organizations, recycling organizations, community

service groups

Project Spotlight

2

Montgomery County Recycling 

Volunteer Program

101 Monroe Street, 6th Floor

Rockville, MD 20850

Phone: 240 777-6445

Email: ana.arriaza@montgomerycountymd.gov

Contact: Contact:
Before their graduation requirements can be satisfied, students write a paper to reflect on 

what they have learned while providing their volunteer service. Even after satisfying the 

graduation requirements, many students continue to volunteer during their college vacations. 

3

Photo Credit: Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection
From Coffee to Compost: 

Network of Environmentally 

Conscious Organizations

Bozeman, Montana

Why are students cruising the streets of 

Bozeman, Montana, on bicycles outfitted 

with trailers? To collect coffee grounds for 

composting! Coffee grounds are an excellent addition to a compost pile. The grounds are relatively 

rich in nitrogen, providing bacteria in the soil the 

energy they need to turn organic matter into compost.

Bozeman’s “Coffee 2 Compost” (C2C) program has helped bring thousands of pounds of 

spent coffee grounds to compost every year. Initially started as a fundraising and volunteer 

recruitment tool for a nonprofit in 

Missoula, Montana, the C2C program 

eventually spread to several other 

towns in the region. 

Incubated by the Bozeman Youth 

Initiative during the winter of 2011, 

the project has since passed on to a 

group of students at Montana State 

University that participate in the Network of Environmentally Conscious 

Organizations (NECO). 

4

Contact:

Maximillian Smith

19 N 10th Avenue

Bozeman, MT 59715

Phone: 406 214-6664

Email: greenunderbelly@gmail.com

The Bozeman Youth Initiative is aMontana nonprofit organization that

connects the youth of Bozeman to their

community. NECO is a student-driven

grassroots group dedicated to connecting resources between Montana State

University and the greater Montana

community, emphasizing environmental, social, and economic sustainability.

Photo Credit: Madison Nixon
NECO has partnered 

with two local coffee 

shops that were looking to lower their waste 

outputs. Volunteers 

conduct weekly pickups 

at each partner shop and 

then bring the spent coffee grounds to compost 

bins. One small coffee 

shop can produce as 

much as 30 gallons of 

coffee grounds per week! More than enough to keep young volunteers busy and create heaps 

of fertile compost. Partner shops, in turn, are happy to spend less time dealing with messy, 

drippy coffee grounds.

Volunteers estimate that the C2C program has helped to divert 5,000 pounds of coffee 

waste from the landfill every year. Given the success and expanding interest in the program, 

coordinators at the Bozeman Youth Initiative were inspired to compose a handbook to help 

others start their own C2C program.

Project Spotlight

•	 Project Type: Community composting

•	 Age Level: Middle school, high school, college

•	 Scale of Participation: Small group

•	 Learning Objectives: To encourage waste reduction and

sustainability in communities

•	 Duration: Ongoing

•	 Available Partnership Opportunities: Coffee shops, restaurants, food stores, schools, community service organizations

Photo Credit: Madison Nixon

5
Students Say “Yes” to a Better 

World: San Gabriel Christian School

San Gabriel, California

R

educing waste has become a regular part 

of the science curriculum for middle 

school students at San Gabriel Christian 

School in San Gabriel, California. The students 

call themselves the “YES” team, short for Young 

Environmental Specialists, and they apply environmental lessons that they learn in textbooks to 

their school and community.

It all began in the fall of 2010 when 7th grade science teacher Clarence Atwater led his students 

in launching a waste reduction campaign at the school. With the guidance and support of Generation Earth, an environmental education program of the Los Angeles County Department of 

Public Works, the team collected old cell phones and used ink cartridges for recycling throughout the year. The team also went on a field trip to a recycling facility called Planet Green to see 

first-hand how recycling can have a profound impact on the county’s waste stream.

YES students also participated in Nike’s “Reuse a Shoe” program. The project accepts old 

tennis shoes and recycles them into playground equipment for low-income areas. 

In January 2011, the YES team planned a community event to collect electronic waste (ewaste), such as computers and televisions, from San Gabriel residents. The school partnered 

with E-Waste Center, Inc. (a company that helps run e-waste collection events), to divert over 

31,000 pounds of e-waste from the landfill. Not only did they keep spent electronics out of the 

landfill, but they also raised 

$2,000 for new computer 

equipment, a printer, cameras 

(to document student activities), and eco club funds.

In the coming semesters, Mr. 

Atwater and the YES team 

plan to expand their activities. 

To learn first-hand about water conservation, for example, 

they intend to add droughtresistant native plants to the 

school’s campus.

6

Generation Earth

Los Angeles County Department of 

Public Works

900 S. Fremont Avenue

Alhambra, CA 91803

Phone: 818 623-4870

Email: generationearth@treepeople.org

Contact:

Project Spotlight

•	 Project Type: Recycling, e-cycling

•	 Age Level: Middle school

•	 Scale of Participation: Classroom, small group

•	 Learning Objectives: To educate students about sustainability and empower them to reduce, reuse, and recycle in their

schools and communities

•	 Duration: School year-long program

•	 Available Partnership Opportunities: Schools, recycling

organizations, local government organizations, nonprofit

organizations
Kids and

Neighbors

7
Blazing the Trail to Recycling: 

Seward Trailblazers 4-H Club

Nobles County, Minnesota

F

or over a decade, students in a southwestern Minnesota township have been helping 

residents do something they never thought 

possible: recycle. Because the closest recycling 

center to Seward Township is 25 miles away, 

most residents used to burn or bury their trash. 

Thanks to the work of the local 4-H Club, however, recycling is now a way of life.

It all started in response to a severe drought in the late 1990s, which led to a ban on burning 

trash. The approximately 60 members (ages 7 to 19) of the Seward Trailblazers 4-H Club 

had just completed a lesson on recycling taught by Wayne Smith, the Environmental Director for Nobles County. The group decided the ban was a perfect opportunity to use what 

they had learned to educate their community about recycling.

First, the Trailblazers worked with Nobles County Environmental Services (NCES) to set up 

96-gallon recycling containers for plastic, paper, glass, and corrugated cardboard. Two additional 55-gallon containers were set up to collect aluminum cans. NCES agreed to pick up 

the recyclables and take them to the county recycling center.

The students then started an education campaign to get the word out. They sent mailings 

and made door-to-door visits to each resident of Seward Township, educating them about 

recycling and informing them about the convenient new drop-off site outside the township 

hall. Their hard work paid off. 

Seward Township now 

recycles about 340 pounds 

of materials every 10 days. 

The project has been so 

successful that new cohorts 

of students have taken 

over the program and kept 

it running for years, and 

neighboring townships have 

expressed an interest in 

starting similar programs.

Contact:

Project Spotlight

•	 Project Type: Community recycling

•	 Age Level: All ages

•	 Scale of Participation: Small group

•	 Learning Objectives: To encourage problem solving and

recycling in rural areas

•	 Duration: Ongoing

•	 Available Partnership Opportunities: Community service

organizations, local government organizations, recycling

centers, nonprofit organizations, schools

Contact:

Wayne Smith

Nobles County Environmental Director

P.O. Box 757

Worthington, MN 56187

Phone: 507 295-5335

Email: wsmith@co.nobles.mn.us

8
9
From Paper to Flowerpots: 

Thayer County Cooperative 

Extension Agency

Hebron, Nebraska

E

lementary school children in Hebron, 

Nebraska, are learning about reuse and 

recycling while enriching the lives of 

“adopted grandparents” at elder care communities. For more than a decade, sixth-graders in 

three counties have been making flowerpots for 

the elderly out of recycled paper that they have 

made themselves. More than 100 students from six 

classrooms at public, private, and parochial schools participate in the program each year.

Crystal Fangmeier of the Thayer County Cooperative Extension 

Agency developed the program to show children that “just because you 

throw something away, that doesn’t mean it’s gone.” First, the students learn about the concepts of recycling and reuse. 

Then, with used shredded paper from a local hospital, they create paper pulp. Using little 

cups as molds, they shape the paper pulp into starter pots, let them dry for a week, and plant 

flowers for their adopted 

grandparents. The students 

enjoy telling the recipients about recycling and 

explaining how they made 

the pots. 

The success of the project 

is evidenced by the large 

amount of interest it has 

garnered from outside 

organizations hoping to 

launch similar projects. In 

addition, many students 

continue reusing paper in 

creative ways after the program ends, such as by coloring their own wrapping paper. 

Project Spotlight

•	 Project Type:	Recycling	and	reuse

•	 Age Level:	Elementary	

•	 Scale of Participation:	Classroom,	small	group

•	 Learning Objectives: To	show	young	students	how	everyday	

materials	can	be	recycled	into	something	useful	rather	than	

being	thrown	away

•	 Duration:	Ongoing	

•	 Available Partnership Opportunities:	Schools,	elderly	care	

organizations,	hospitals,	community	service	organizations,	

nonprofit	organizations

Contact:

Crystal Fangmeier

Thayer County Cooperative 

Extension

225 North Fourth Street

Hebron, NE 68370

Phone: 402 768-7212

10
11
Stewardship in Action: 

Groundwork Providence, Inc.

Providence, Rhode Island

F

or more than a decade, small groups 

of high school students have actively 

promoted recycling in Providence, Rhode 

Island, while serving as community role models 

and stewards of their own environment. For 

two months each summer, students participate 

in an employment program known as the Green 

Team. The program provides more than just 

summer jobs, though. It also offers positive 

enrichment activities for at-risk urban youth.

Led by the nonprofit organization Groundwork Providence, Green Team members typically 

focus on boosting recycling rates in their own neighborhoods, providing incentive for them to take ownership 

of their home turf. They regularly collect and deliver 

used glass, aluminum, and plastic containers to resource 

recovery locations. Team members have also worked to 

expand recycling efforts at a local hospital and national 

park, as well as to increase participation at electronics 

recycling or “e-cycling” events in the city.

The Green Team also teaches city residents about what 

kinds of materials can 

be recycled and how to 

properly dispose of wastes 

that can’t be recycled. The 

team created and distributed pamphlets to residents 

that clearly explain local 

trash collection laws, how 

to obtain recycling bins, and 

how to dispose of household hazardous waste and 

bulky items (such as large 

appliances and furniture).

Project Spotlight

•	 Project Type:	Community	recycling,	e-cycling,	and	waste	

management

•	 Age Level:	High	school	

•	 Scale of Participation:	Small	group

•	 Learning Objectives: To	foster	personal	growth	and	build	

awareness	of	local	environmental	issues

•	 Duration:	Summer-long	program

•	 Available Partnership Opportunities:	Community	service		

organizations,	neighborhood	councils,	environmental	groups,	

nonprofit	organizations,	schools,	local	government	

organizations

Contact:

Sheri Lupoli

Director of Education and Job Training

Groundwork Providence

8 Third Street

Providence, RI 02906

Phone: 401 351-6440 ext. 15

Email: slupoli@groundworkprovidence.org

Groundwork Providence

is part of a nationwide

ground of trusts,

called Groundwork USA,

dedicated to renewing and restoring distressed neighborhoods through environmental

projects and programs.

12
Kids and

Schools

13
“Strut” Your Stuff: 

Eddyville Charter School

Eddyville, Oregon

Asmall, rural charter school in Oregon really knows how to strut its stuff. The 

“Students Recycling Used Technology” (Strut) program at Eddyville Charter 

School refurbishes old computer hardware into new systems for use in classrooms, 

school computer labs, and students’ homes. Strut provides opportunities for high school 

students to learn about computer refurbishing through a hands-on approach, while helping 

rescue “technological trash” from landfills and installing it in educational settings where it 

can enhance instruction.

“As a science teacher, I have found no other class 

in which critical thinking and problem solving is 

consistently exemplified than when a student must 

figure out why a computer is not working properly, 

“ remarks Eddyville teacher Bob Pearson. “There 

is no greater satisfaction than to see the dance of 

joy a student performs when a particularly difficult 

problem is resolved.”

Large corporations and public agencies donate used or outdated computers and technical 

equipment to Strut. Students tear down the equipment, sort components by type, upgrade 

components, reassemble units, and then distribute the equipment based on student and 

district needs. Since the program’s inception in 1998, hundreds of computers have been “recycled” and made available for student use. Students also provide follow-up services related 

to the computers they have 

reclaimed. Student technicians install, service, and 

troubleshoot the computer 

hardware to ensure problemfree and efficient use. 

Due to the tremendous success of the class and the hard 

work of the students, nearly 

half of the computers now 

at Eddyville Charter School 

were assembled from donations to the Strut program. 

Project Spotlight

•	 Project Type: Computer refurbishing

•	 Age Level: High school

•	 Scale of Participation: Classroom, small group

•	 Learning Objectives: To promote critical thinking and teach

students how to refurbish and maintain used electronic

equipment rather than throwing it away

•	 Duration: School-year-long program

•	 Available Partnership Opportunities: Schools, businesses,

computer technicians, public agencies, recycling organizations

14

Contact Info

Contact:

Bob Pearson

P.O. Box 68

Eddyville, OR 97343

Phone: 541 875-2642

Email: bob.pearson@lincoln.k12.or.us

Contact:

14
15
The Planeteers’ Quest for 

Sustainability: Kaimuki Middle School 

Honolulu, Hawaii

S

chool isn’t over once the bell rings for a small group of students at Kaimuki Middle 

School in Honolulu, Hawaii. The “Planeteers,” as they call themselves, choose to stick 

around and participate in an after-school Earth stewardship and service club. Through the 

club, students learn about reducing and recycling while making their school more sustainable.

The Planeteers were inspired by the Kokua 

Hawaii Foundation, a nonprofit organization 

that promotes environmental education, along 

with The Green House, a community service 

organization that helps students participate 

in environmental service. With this support, 

the students took it upon themselves to install 

paper and plastic recycling bins in every classroom. Every week, they collect the materials 

from the bins and transfer them to containers outside the school for pickup by the city. To 

increase recycling awareness among students and teachers, they also pass out educational flyers about how to use the recycling bins.

Carol Feinga

Kokua Hawaii Foundation

P.O. Box 866

Haleiwa, HI 96712 

Email: carol@kokuahawaiifoundation.org

Contact:

Photo Credit: Kokua Hawaii Foundation

16
But the Planeteers understand that sustainability doesn’t stop at recycling. To further 

reduce the school’s waste generation, they constructed four worm composting bins for 

cafeteria food scraps. The worms in these bins eat the food scraps and produce a nutrientrich byproduct called worm castings. The resulting concoction can be used as fertilizer 

for gardens and landscaping. This process of using worms to create compost is known as 

“vermicomposting.” 

The Kokua Hawaii Foundation has honored the Planeteers’ efforts by naming 

the club as an outstanding 

Earth Action Project. As 

a result, the Foundation 

showcases the group on its 

website in hopes of inspiring other students to start 

similar programs. 

•	 Project Type:Community recycling, e-cycling, and waste

management

•	 Age Level: High school

•	 Scale of Participation: Small group

•	 Learning Objectives: To foster personal growth and build

awareness of local environmental issues

•	 Duration: Summer-long program

•	 Available Partnership Opportunities: Community service

organizations, neighborhood councils, environmental groups,

nonprofits, schools, local government organizations

Project Spotlight

•	 Project Type: Recycling and vermicomposting

•	 Age Level: Elementary and middle school

•	 Scale of Participation: Classroom, small group

•	 Learning Objectives: To teach students about reducing waste

and help make their school campus more sustainable

•	 Duration: School year-long program

•	 Available Partnership Opportunities: Schools, nonprofit

organizations, community service organizations, local

government organizations

Photo Credit: Kokua Hawaii Foundation

17
Seeing Green in Maine: 

Falmouth Middle School

Falmouth, Maine

F

almouth Middle School in Maine is looking 

a little greener these days thanks to a small, 

but dedicated group of sixth graders. Called 

“Team Green,” the group has turned pounds of 

food waste into compost for school gardens. But 

flowers aren’t the only things blossoming on the 

school’s campus—so is the environmental awareness of students throughout the school.

Team Green secured funding to reduce the school’s environmental footprint from the 

Falmouth Educational Foundation, a local nonprofit, and a Green School mini-grant from 

KIDS Consortium, a New England–based education nonprofit. The team decided that the 

cafeteria was one area where they could make a big impact. With the help of advisors and 

a master gardener, the students purchased compost tumblers, which tidily contain the food 

scraps and turn them into nutrient-rich compost over time. 

After the team collects the food waste, they measure the weight in the tumblers and monitor 

the composting process to ensure that they get the right nutrient composition. In addition 

to adding the compost to their own flower gardens, Team Green delivers compost to the 

gardens at the nearby Falmouth High School.

Thanks to the composting program, the school has cut its waste by an estimated 15 percent. 

The project has been so successful that the students were invited to give presentations showcasing their efforts at the 2010 KIDS Consortiums Annual Students Summit on ServiceLearning, as well as the 

Green Summit Conference 

at the University of New 

Hampshire, where more 

than 400 students from New 

England and New York 

convene to share ideas on 

sustainability. In the future, 

Team Green is considering 

selling some compost as a 

fundraiser for additional 

projects and field trips.

•	 Project Type: Composting

•	 Age Level: Middle school

•	 Scale of Participation: Classroom, small group

•	 Learning Objectives: To raise environmental awareness and

teach students about how to reduce waste output by composting

•	 Duration: School-year-long program

•	 Available Partnership Opportunities: Schools, educational

foundations, community service organizations, gardening

organizations

18

Contact:

Sue Palfrey

Falmouth Middle School 

52 Woodville Road

Falmouth, ME 04105

Phone: 207 781-3740

Email: spalfrey@fps.k12.me.us

Project Spotlight
Living Sustainably 

Through Education and Service: 

College of Menominee Nation

Keshena, Wisconsin

S

ustainable development” isn’t just a textbook concept for students at the College of 

Menominee Nation (CMN); it’s a practice 

to be implemented in daily life. Since 2007, 

students of CMN’s Sustainable Development 

Course have spent part of their semester actively 

working to increase recycling at their campus located on the Menominee Indian Reservation. 

Central to their efforts is participation in Recyclemania, a 

national 10-week competition that makes the campus both 

cleaner and more sustainable for students. During the competition, the students collect and weigh recyclable materials 

that the college generates each week. 

The school is proud to boast that they have out-collected 

much larger universities on a per capita basis, even though 

the campus has only 650 students. Over the past five years, 

successive classes of students have collected 15,000 pounds 

of recyclable plastic and paper products. One year, the students also collected and safely 

disposed of 23 pounds of medicines and over four tons of electronics!

In addition to diverting 

valuable materials from 

the waste stream, students 

are fostering behavioral 

changes within the college 

and larger tribal community. College administrators 

hope that course graduates 

will continue to implement 

sustainable projects in the 

tribal community, sharing 

the knowledge and wisdom 

they’ve gained. 

19

Contact:

William Van Lopik, Ph.D.

College of the Menominee Nation

P.O. Box 1179

Keshena, WI 54135

Email: wvanlopik@menominee.edu

Project Spotlight

•	 Project Type: Recycling

•	 Age Level: College

•	 Scale of Participation: Classroom, campus

•	 Learning Objectives: To introduce students to the principles

and practices of sustainability and actively implement them in

their schools and communities

•	 Duration: School year-long program

•	 Available Partnership Opportunities: Schools, tribal government organizations, community service organizations,

recycling organizations

Photo Credit: Dr. William Van Lopik
20
Resources

Corporation for National and Community Service 

1201 New York Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20525

Phone: 202 606-5000

Email: info@cns.gov

Website: www.nationalservice.gov

The Corporation for National Service was chartered by Congress in 1993 to provide a broad range of opportunities to Americans of all ages and backgrounds to 

serve their communities and the nation. One of its grant programs, Learn and Serve 

America, supports service-learning programs in schools, colleges, and community 

organizations that engage nearly one million youth in the areas of education, public 

safety, the environment, and other human needs.

Learn and Serve America/National Service-Learning Clearinghouse

1201 New York Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20525

Phone: 202 606-5000

TTY: 800 833-3722

Email: LSAabout@cns.gov

Website: www.learnandserve.gov

This informational website, funded by the Corporation for National Service, is 

designed to support Learn and Serve America grantees, as well as other programs 

engaged in service-learning. The site includes information about service-learning 

resources, a listserv, and other helpful tools.

F

or more information about service-learning programs, 

grants, and ideas, contact your state’s community service 

commission or education department. The following national organizations also are involved in coordinating or funding 

service-learning projects.

21
National 4-H Council

7100 Connecticut Avenue

Chevy Chase, MD 20815

Phone: 301 961-2800

Email: info@fourhcouncil.edu

Website: www.fourcouncil.edu

4-H enables America’s youth to emerge as leaders through hands-on learning, 

research-based youth programs, and adult mentorship. 4H offers programs on environmental topics such as using alternative energy, conserving energy, and learning 

how to limit humanity’s impact on the environment. Completing programs such as 

4-H2

Online (which teaches water conservation) and The Power of the Wind (which 

teaches youth how to take advantage of wind energy) allows young people to take 

part in the important conversations surrounding these topics.

Girl Scouts of the U.S.A.

National Headquarters

420 Fifth Avenue

New York, NY 10018-2798

Phone: 800 GSUSA4U (478-7248) or 212 852-8000

Website: www.girlscouts.org

Girl Scouts from age 5 to 17 and their leaders are involved in environmental activities in their communities. All Girl Scouts can earn recognition for activities such 

as learning about landfills, recycling, participating in community cleanups, making 

recycled paper, or promoting clean water and conservation.

Boy Scouts of America

National Council

Boy Scouts of America

P.O. Box 152079

Irving, TX 75015-2079

Website: www.bsa.scouting.org

Traditionally involved in many outdoor activities, Boy Scouts strive to become 

citizens that treat their environment responsibly. Through a conservation program, 

scouts learn about the use of natural resources; collaborate on community projects 

with local, state, or federal environmental organizations; and receive awards for projects that inform the public about the importance of environmental protection.

22
Boys & Girls Clubs of America

National Headquarters

1275 West Peachtree Street, NE

Atlanta, GA 30309

Phone: 404 487-5700

Email: info@bgca.org

Website: www.bgca.org

The Boys & Girls Clubs of America help youth from all backgrounds—especially 

disadvantaged children—develop the qualities they need to become responsible citizens and leaders. Various programs promote community service projects, environmental awareness, and other related initiatives.

National Service Learning Resource Center

ETR Associates

4 Carbonero Way

Scotts Valley, CA 95066

Phone: 831 438-4060

Website: www.etr.org/NSRC/index.html

The Resource Center is the knowledge management training and technical assistance provider to the Corporation for National and Community Service. It connects 

service programs with targeted training and information. The Resource Center is the 

national service hub for sharing training for the corporations programs, connecting 

teachers and trainers to grant opportunities, and providing assistance to any organization that uses volunteers to strengthen communities. The center provides a variety 

of resources for environmental service projects and covers recycling, energy and 

water efficiency, renewable energy use, at-risk ecosystems, pollution, water quality, 

and gardening.

23
Youth Services America

1101 15th Street NW, Suite 200

Washington, DC 20005

Phone: 202 296-2992

Email: info@ysa.org

Website: www.ysa.org

Youth Services America (YSA) was founded in 1986 with the goal of engaging 

and educating a diversity of young people—ages 5 to 25—as volunteers, academic 

achievers, and community leaders. The nonprofit provides service-learning resources 

and grants to youth, educators, and service coordinators. YSA also offers grants and 

programs that address the environment, climate change, and sustainable community 

development.

National Youth Leadership Council

1667 Snelling Avenue North, Suite D300

Saint Paul, MN 55108

Phone: 651 631-3672

Website: www.nylc.org

The National Youth Leadership Council seeks to create a more just, sustainable, and 

peaceful world with young people, their schools, and their communities through 

service-learning. The nonprofit promotes service-learning throughout the United 

States using a variety of programs and resources, including “Solid Waste Camp,” 

which enables students to clean up a site of their choice. 

Youth Volunteer Corps of America

4600 W. 51st Street, Suite 300

Shawnee Mission, KS 66205

Phone: 888 828-9822

Website: www.yvca.org

The Youth Volunteer Corps of America (YVC) seeks to engage young people in 

service projects that are challenging, rewarding, and educational, and that serve the 

unmet needs of the community. In the YVC model, young people participate in several projects throughout the year that help reinforce teamwork, civic responsibility, 

and an appreciation for diversity. First launched in 1987, the YVC model has since 

been established in communities nationwide. 

24
g

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Mission

To protect human health and the environment

Office of Resource Conservation and 

Recovery (ORCR) Mission:

•	 Conserve resources by reducing waste;

•	 Prevent future waste disposal problems by enforcing regulations; and

•	 Clean up areas where waste may have spilled,

leaked, or been improperly disposed. 

One key initiative that ORCR has taken to achieve 

these goals is to continue its education and outreach 

efforts through environmental service-learning.
It is a method of encouraging student learning and

development through active participation in thoughtfully organized service that is conducted in, and

meets the needs of, a community.

It involves an elementary school, secondary school,

institution of higher education, or community service

program, along with the community.

It helps foster civic responsibility.

It is integrated into, and enhances, the academic

curriculum or the educational components of the

community service program in which the participants are enrolled.

It provides structured time for students or participants to reflect on the service experience.

2

United States Environmental Protection Agency (5306W) Washington, DC 20460 Official Business Penalty for Private Use $300 EPA-530-K-11-001 September 2011

Recycled/Recyclable—Printed with vegetable oil based inks on 100% postconsumer, process chlorine free recycled paper.