Activity - Rubbish or Treasure

Rubbish?

A feature of the Leave No Trace educational programme is the wide selection of practical activities that have been created to illustrate and develop skills in environmental care. I was very impressed by this collection of activities posted recently on the Irish Leave No Trace site, with activities arranged by principle.

I have picked one about below "Rubbish or Treasure" which is used to illustrate the "Leave What You Find" principle.

Rubbish or Treasure?

Objective: To increase participant’s awareness of personal, social and cultural values and how these are reflected in the landscape around us.

Materials: A bag with various objects: Leaf, twig, rock, shell (natural objects), fossil, pottery (historical object), bottle top, bottle, old tent peg (modern rubbish), coin, watch (valuable items).

Audience: Master Educator and Trainer courses.

Duration: 10 to 15 mins.

Directions:

Get everybody in a circle, stand in a place where your voice can clearly be heard. Ask participants to look around them, taking note of the things that they think are “man-made” and the things that they think are ‘natural’. Point out an object, such as a wall, that is obviously man made - how they would class this? Point out an object, such as a field or forest, that seems natural and ask them what they think about this - if they say its natural point out that the field/forest is a product of mans land management. Opening statement: “These days, very little of the natural environment is untouched by man - this exercise is going to explore people’s perception of nature and the countryside and how this can influence our actions”. Place the objects that you’ve brought with you on the ground. Ask for a volunteer, ask them to arrange the objects into 2 piles - one for ‘treasure’ or items they find interesting and another for ‘rubbish’ - put all the items back as they were. Pick another volunteer, ask them to do the same, have they put the same things in the same place? Open it up to the rest of the group – do they agree? Time, location, perception and even weather can have a bearing on how we value the objects that we find. We often have to rely on our own judgment when we decide what we should pick up and what we should leave behind.

Treasure?