GreenGuardian.com

On-line waste reduction curriculum was developed for use in adult English as a Second Language (ESL) programs, and is available at http://www.mcedservices.com/recyclex/recyclex.htm. The on-line exercises, which are presented in Arabic, Hmong, and Somali (written and spoken), share basic information on waste reduction, reuse, recycling, and household hazardous waste. After listening to the information in one’s native language, students can take a quiz in English and complete a waste reduction pledge form. During the pilot test of the curriculum, 85% of the students who completed pre and post tests showed an increase in their understanding of actions they can take to reduce waste, and 61 completed a pledge form. GreenGuardian.com is listed after the exercises as a source for additional information. From May – August of 2006, the ESL site has been accessed over 1400 times (about 500 unique visitors), and the quizzes have been completed 230 times. The curriculum was presented to instructors at three statewide conferences and an article about it appeared in a statewide ESL newsletter and on a national Teachers of ESL listserv. Use of the materials is expected to go up significantly during the fall semester, and the on-line materials are expected to be used for many years to teach new immigrants about waste issues.