You have been asked by your teachers to participate in a program called "T"s for Trees". You are supposed to bring in old t-shirts, make them into shopping bags, and THEN get your family to use them on a regular basis! But why should you? Are reused cloth bags better than paper? ...better than plastic? Does it really matter what you use to haul your groceries, videos, or clothes home in?

Well, here is your chance to learn more about it and to decide for yourself..."paper, plastic, or t-shirt?" You want to do the right thing for yourself, so you have decided to do some research. Your decisions may not effect just you, but also your family, community, and the world.

The activity you are about to experience is an iAdventure. In an iAdventure you actively participate in the story and make educated choices. Fortunately, you live in a "wired" world, in which you have access to all kinds of information at your fingertips. You can find almost any kind of data or information to help you solve important problems. An iAdventure, such as this one, helps you to see that this is true because you will use some of the great resources on the Internet to help you make decisions.

Are you ready? I hope so, because your decisions determine the outcome of the iAdventure!

ALERT! ...ALERT! ...ALERT!...Anything printed in this color of light purple is something that will be graded. Be sure that you complete each item and don't miss out on the points!

School! Teachers ask you to do so many stupid assignments! This one sounds really lame! ...What difference does it make if your family uses paper or plastic bags? ...And who really thinks that your family would really be interested in using old t-shirt shopping bags? You probably don't use very many bags anyway, right?...Maybe you better find out.

Remember that survey that you took home? It asked some questions about the number of bags that your family uses. Join your class now to calculate the number of paper and plastic bags that your class/school could save from going to the landfill IF you all used cloth bags. Click here to see a copy of the "Bag Calculation Sheet".

Have you returned your survey? If not, do it now! We need to combine the data from all of the surveys and plot it on graphs so that we can think and talk about it. Click here to view a summary of the data collected during the 2002-2003 school year.Click here to review the data collected from a group of students during the 2000-2001 school year.

 

Before you begin your journey into the world of shopping bags, let's make sure that you understand the meaning of a few words that you might run across. Obtain the "Glossary" sheet from your teacher and use your text and other sources to create a list of definitions. Keep this handy, you may need it during your search and you will have to turn it in later.

The next time we meet, you will be ready to continue with this iAdventure...and find answers to some of the questions above.

Welcome back! Before we start investigating the issues surrounding paper and plastic usage and landfills, we need to get one of our labs set up. To do that, you first must decide which type of bag that you think your family should use. This is not your final decision! You will have two more opportunities to decide which is the right bag for you At this point, you are only preparing to set up worm farms for lab investigation one ...your investigation is not over yet! Click on the link below to move to the next phase.

So, what did you think of the worms?! Be sure to make and record weekly observations about your squares of paper, plastic, and cloth while we move on with our research.

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You are now ready to take on the role of investigative reporter. You know that your teachers want you to get involved in the "Ts for Trees" program and that the program goal is to reduce the amount of paper and plastic bags being used in your community. You have researched your family's usage of shopping bags and you have picked up some new vocabulary words to help you complete your assignment.

You may have already come to a conclusion about this program; BUT have you really gathered enough facts to make an objective conclusion? Remember, good investigators collect many facts to base their inferences(or conclusions) on. Let's introduce you to some experts who might direct you to some websites where you can collect some facts about the topic. But be critical in evaluating the sources they share with you. Some information may be very factual, but facts can be interpreted differently from different viewpoints. Obtain your "Reporter's Notebook" from your teacher before you go to visit the experts and their sources. Record each site that you visit and some facts that you think are important. Also make a statement about how objective or subjective the information appears to be - AND why you think that.

BE SURE TO "WEAR YOUR WATCH" - YOU ONLY HAVE THIRTY MINUTES TO INTERVIEW EACH EXPERT AND VISIT THEIR SUGGESTED SITES.

Mr. Forest T. Pete is a third generation forestry professional. His family has been involved in harvesting and replanting trees for over 50 years. You find him at his small office at the paper mill. He is a thoughtful man and is willing to help you become informed. He has several links that he thinks that you should visit if you want to understand the facts about forestry and paper. Scroll down the page or Click here to see his list of resources.

Ms. Tammy Petrol is the Vice President of Public Relations for the Associated Plastics Corporation. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Chemistry and a Master's Degree in Business Administration. She has been with the firm for twelve years and is very informative as she gives you a tour of the plant. She gives you a list of web sites to visit for more information. Scroll down the page or Click here to advance to the list of web sites.

You catch Mrs. Arial Plume on her car phone because she is always on the go. Right now she is on her way to a meeting of The Nature Conservancy where they will be voting on a purchase of more rainforest to designate as a wildlife preserve. Mrs. Plume is an environmental activist with a biology degree. She is always working to protect something! She promises to email you a list of web sites that might help you find more facts.

Did you visit some of the sites suggested by each of the three experts? Read back through your Reporters Notebook. Are there statements that seem to be saying opposite "truths"? Are there some statements that you believe more than others? You may not be sure about participating in the Ts for Trees program, but do you feel like you have collected enough information to help you decide which type of bag is best for your family? If you do, click on the link below to continue the investigation.

Still not sure which bag is for you? ...Perhaps you could base your decision on what type of bag your family now uses when you go shopping. There is not always a "right" or "wrong" answer to every question and this may be true for shopping bags. Whichever you decide to follow up here does not have to be your final decision...your investigation is not over yet!