World Peace Game

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The Fenimore Landfill, located in Roxbury Township, reopened in 2012 in order to close it properly. The 400,000+ cubic yards of new material dumped has caused health problems for thousands of people, contaminated the air, reduced property values, and eliminated the great quality of life that residents had enjoyed. The population of Roxbury Township is roughly 13,000.  Our group was comprised of approximately 20 students, 1 parent volunteer and 1 teacher.   We discussed ways of problem solving this issue.  The students felt the new materials should be hauled out but, we were unable to figure out to where.  One student suggested space but, how do we get it there?  Students created stickers to put on trash cans that state 'Think before you throw' to remind people about what happens to their trash once in the garbage.  It doesn't disappear but, goes into a pile that can cause problems like the one that Roxbury has encountered.  We found that technology is improving to make landfills safer but, there can be many environmental issues that arise from landfills.  We created a model of the Fenimore landfill that we used to discuss the contents of a landfill and to show the proximity of the surrounding neighborhoods.  Some students as well as the teacher were aware of the horrible smell of the gases that came Fenimore landfill.  We presented our findings to the whole school at the sustainability showcase in June 2014.