One piece of trash is placed in each section of the egg carton. Dirt is then placed over the pieces. Water is added to simulate the effects of rain. The carton is then placed in a sunny area. Each week the students dig into the dirt and check the compartments to see what happened to the items.
Students visit local streams where they seine for and identify organisms.
The young environmentalists bring back water samples to the school's science lab for chemical testing. Ph, chlorine, chromium, copper, cyanide, iron, nitrate, nitrogen, phosphorous, silica, and sulfide are conducted by the students. The program involves trips to seven area streams with approximately 30 students, five parents, and two classroom teachers. Accompanying the class on trips is Greg McKibben, Southwire Company's Environmental Specialist and teacher Georgia Evans. Mr. McKibben helps identify organisms and guide the students during seining.