Welcome to Aluminum Beverage Cans: The ABCs of Environmental Education, an easy and fun resource for teaching students many important concepts about the environment. Environmental education is a lifelong process that must begin early to instill lasting habits in our environmental caretakers of tomorrow. By introducing elementary school children to the concepts presented in this kit, teachers will begin to build a foundation of skills and knowledge that will help students make sound decisions for our environment in the future.

Aluminum Beverage Cans: The ABCs of Environmental Education includes background information, in-class experiments and extracurricular activities intended to meet the environmental education material guidelines of the North American Association for Environmental Education and Project 2061's Benchmarks for Science Literacy. The concepts and learning outcomes adapted in this kit have been created to ensure that, at the intermediate level, students are literate in a common set of standards that promote responsible analyses of the world's environmental challenges.

Aluminum Beverage Cans: The ABCs of Environmental Education uses the aluminum beverage can as a case study in environmental education. The can provides a snapshot of the role scientific and environmental concerns play in the development and use of packaging. By studying the many attributes of aluminum cans, students will see first hand the challenges that industry faces in protecting the environment while also providing consumers with safe, enjoyable products.

The aluminum beverage can is the most recycled and recyclable consumer product package on the market today. Currently, two out of every three aluminum beverage cans are recycled. Empty aluminum cans that are recycled are often back on grocery store shelves in as few as 60 days, saving energy, reducing litter and conserving natural resources. It is important that children develop skills and knowledge about recycling so they can make sound environmental decisions today and in the future.

This resource kit is flexible enough to allow for as little or as much time as you have to devote to environmental education. Teachers can spend one class period or an entire week using the lesson plans and extracurricular activities presented here. There are seven in-class lesson plans, as well as many suggestions for extracurricular activities. Some activities, such as initiating a recycling program at your school, are ongoing projects that can take up to a whole school year. No matter how much time you choose to devote to the curriculum, however, remember to always promote a balanced study of environmental challenges.

Thank you for taking the time to teach our future leaders about the many challenges that face decision makers in balancing environmental protection with social, economic and political considerations. It is only through responsible analysis of these issues that we can truly make a difference.