Step 1: Order a Planet Protectors Club Kit from EPA.

Full of activity books, a coloring book, a student membership

card, and a certification of completion, the Planet Protectors Club

Kit can be ordered online at <www.epa.gov/epaoswer/osw/ 

publicat.htm>. Materials can also be downloaded from EPA’s

Office of Solid Waste Kids’ page at <www.epa.gov/epaoswer/

education/kids.htm>. The kit is free, and the materials can be supplemented with the additional resources listed on the back of this

page or with your own ideas and activities.

Step 2: Ask yourself the following questions:

★ What are the club’s goals? 

★ Why will kids want to join a Planet Protectors Club? 

★ Where will the supplies and funding for the club come from?

★ Where and when will the club meet? 

Step 3: Get the word out! Now is the time to recruit members to your club. 

★ Prepare a handout that explains the purpose of the club, where and when

it will meet, who the leaders are (with contact information),

and a few sample activities.

★ If you are organizing an after-school club, you might want 

to consider advertising in a school, community, or 

organization newsletter. ALWAYS request that 

PARENTS contact you if their child is interested.

If a child contacts you, be sure you receive 

parental permission

★ Resource conservation 

★ Global climate change 

★ Source reduction 

★ Reuse 

★ Recycling 

★ Composting

★ Recycled products 

★ Waste disposal

Starting a Planet Protectors Club

Interested in starting your own

Planet Protectors Club? Here’s how!

Your mission, if you choose to

accept it, is to teach children

how to reduce, reuse, and

recycle waste and create the next

generation of Planet Protectors!

You don’t have to be an expert in

waste reduction and recycling to lead

a Planet Protectors Club. You don’t

even have to be a teacher. You do

have to have the desire to motivate

and educate children in grades K-6

...while having fun in the process.

Join in the fun that clubs all across

the country are having.

Planet Protectors Clubs encourage

children to think about these 

environmental topics:

EPA-530-F-06-017

www.epa.gov/osw

February 2007
Step 4: Plan your first meeting, and develop a schedule 

of club activities. 

Announce your first meeting well in advance so parents can plan for their children’s

attendance. Be realistic. Ensure that planned activities are grade and age appropriate

and have a good chance of being completed successfully.

Step 5: Have your first meeting and let the

fun begin! 

Bring the club’s schedule to your first club meeting. The

schedule should also be shared with the parents of club

members. Always ask your club members to evaluate each

activity. Listen to their recommendations. Their input is

important and provides them with a sense of ownership.

Resources: 

A variety of resources are available to you as Planet Protectors Club leaders and others interested in

environmental education. To learn more about these resources, see <www.epa.gov/epaoswer/education> or to order publications, see an alphabetical listing on <www.epa.gov/epaoswer/publicat.htm>.

★ Planet Protectors Club Kit (EPA-530-E-00-02) 

Designed for students in grades K-6, this kit comes with a student membership card and certification

of completion, a sticker, a coloring book about reuse on Earth titled “Planet Protectors Create Less

Waste in the First Place,” and two activity books, “Case of the Broken Loop” and “Follow That Trail!”

★ Planet Protectors Club Calendar (EPA-530-H-06-004) 

With a calendar for both students and teachers, this educational tool outlines monthly activities to

keep students thinking about waste reduction, reuse, and recycling from September to June.

★ The Quest for Less (EPA-530-R-05-005) 

A solid waste resource for teachers of students in grades K-8 with a multidisciplinary focus that

includes math, science, art, social studies, language arts, and health. Topics cover natural resources,

products, waste, recycling, composting, source reduction, landfilling, and combustion.

★ Office of Solid Waste’s Teachers: Curriculum and Activities Web Page 

This page provides even more resources for teachers, including project ideas, tools, games, and

activities for students in grades K-12. Though some are directed toward much older students,

these tools can be modified to fit the Planet Protectors Club-specific age range of grades K-6. See

<www.epa.gov/epaoswer/education/teach_curric.htm> for more information.

★ EPA’s Office of Solid Waste’s Educational Resources Web Page 

EPA’s Office of Solid Waste has an array of materials for teachers, kids, students, and researchers

to develop an increased knowledge of solid waste issues. See <www.epa.gov/epaoswer/

education> for more information.

Recycled/Recyclable—Printed with vegetable oil based inks 

on 100% postconsumer, process chlorine free recycled paper.