World Wisdom - Budget-Friendly, Sustainable Spring Break Ideas

 As 50 million children get excited for Spring Break, the Paper and Packaging Board (P+PB) is encouraging families to make the week-long ritual more fun and educational by adopting a sustainability theme. P+PB has developed a list of ideas to get them started.

“Whether going away or staying home for Spring Break, there are many ways families can create teachable moments about recycling. This is important since P+PB research shows that 95% of Americans say they recycle to some extent but fewer than half know the basics of recycling,” explained Mary Anne Hansan, President, P+PB. “Ensuring our youngest consumers understand how to reuse and recycle paper products or plant a tree will nurture life-long recycling habits and a respect for the planet.”

As part of its How Life Unfolds® campaign, P+PB has developed a list found here of creative, recycling-focused ways to make Spring Break memorable and earth friendly. Here are the top four:

1. Scavenger Hunt: Plan a scavenger hunt for paper-based recyclable items. Start by downloading the recycling scavenger hunt printable created by P+PB which encourages children to recycle paper products in an interactive and engaging way. Once collected, deposit the items in the correct bin.
2. Road Trip: For those taking a family vacation over Spring Break, challenge family members to count how many paper products they recycle throughout the trip. The winner gets a prize! For young ones, kid-friendly printable games—such as Bingo—and coloring sheets will make the travel to the destination seem shorter. Recycle the games sheets when done.
3. Seed Paper: Spring is marked by blooming so creating handmade seed paper is a great way to help kids learn about repurposing cardboard and paper into art that regenerates. Using common kitchen tools described in these printable instructions, simply mush up paper and cardboard and sprinkle in flower seeds to make paper. When done, decorate the paper and give as gifts or plant and watch the seeds sprout.
4. Plane Party: Gather neighborhood kids for a paper plane party! Paper planes are fun to make and can be made from printer paper or even cereal boxes. Once made, they can be judged on style and which plane flies the farthest. When done, the children can place the scraps and planes into the recycle bin. Get plane making tips here.

Hansan added: “Paper is made from a renewable resource-trees, and not fossil fuels. People are often surprised to learn that twice as many trees are planted than are used to make the paper products you rely on every day.”

“Family time is a great time to show by example how to care for the planet and recycling is a great place to begin,” said Hansan. “It’s easy, decreases what gets sent to landfills and instills the belief that your recycled pizza box just might show up on the grocery shelf as a cereal box when recycled.”

About the Paper and Packaging Board
The Paper and Packaging Board promotes the use of paper products and paper-based packaging by highlighting how their sustainable nature, the industry’s practices and recycling help contribute to a healthier planet. Forty-seven U.S. manufacturers and importers collectively fund the national marketing campaign, www.howlifeunfolds.com.