OCRRA exemplifies commitment to proper waste disposal and recycling
Wins SWANA 2016 Excellence Award
The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) recently announced that the Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency (OCRRA) was named the winner of the SWANA Gold Excellence Award in the Education Program category. The award will be presented at SWANA’s annual conference, WASTECON, on Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016, in Indianapolis.
OCRRA is receiving the award for its entry “OCRRA Interactive Online Education Program.”
“This innovative educational program is the first of its kind, as it combines advanced classroom technologies with required federal and state curriculum standards for English, math and science,” said Theresa Evans, recycling specialist for OCRRA. “It is an online waste management educational series for elementary students addressing not only recycling, but all elements of waste management.”
The free, downloadable program combines a series of video lessons, interactive digital-games, curriculum-aligned and teacher-developed classroom activities and pre- and post-evaluation tests to raise awareness about the environment. Aimed at third- through sixth-grade students, the program offers teachers and parents a simple way to share important environmental lessons while integrating current technology. Lessons focus on waste and litter reduction, composting, landfilling and waste-to-energy technology.
Program development was made possible through collaboration between OCRRA, Pinckney Hugo Group, a Syracuse-based marketing communications firm, and staff from the Syracuse City School District (SCSD), and Marcellus, Liverpool and Fayetteville-Manlius Central School Districts, including: Robin Brenner, Fayetteville-Manlius Central School District, Robin Czachowski, Liverpool Central School District, Jean Kaminiski, Liverpool Central School District, Maria Healy, Marcellus Central School District, Amy Landes, SCSD, Mindy Lochner, SCSD, Diane McArdell, Marcellus Central School District, Sabrina McJilton, SCSD and Marianne Oliver, SCSD.
The program was supported by a grant from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. To learn more about the program, visit OCRRA.org or view the entry on swana.org/Awards/Excellence.
SWANA’s Excellence Awards Program recognizes outstanding solid waste programs and facilities that advance the practice of environmentally and economically sound solid waste management through their commitment to utilizing effective technologies and processes in system design and operations, advancing worker and community health and safety, and implementing successful public education and outreach programs. Programs also must demonstrate that they are fiscally and environmentally responsible through their compliance with all applicable federal, state and local regulations.
The award-winning education program was previously honored in 2015 with an Interactive Media Council “Outstanding Achievement” award in the education category and was a key component in Pinckney Hugo Group and OCRRA’s “Save the World A Little Each Day” campaign that was named finalist in the 2016 North American Positive Change Effie awards competition.
