Part of teaching students to think critically and to have real-world problem solving skills is helping them to see what kinds of social and economic problems exist and how they can be a part of the solution. That’s not to say they all must become activists or humanitarians, but it is good to get them thinking about some of the “big issues”, take a look at how those are affecting us globally, and see what organizations exist to help reduce or solve these problems, and how students can be a part of the solution.
One example of this is how we care for the environment. In recent news, President Trump has received backlash for actions taken against certain environmental agencies, and lack of protection for national parks. We all know that we need to better care for the planet on which we live, but how can we keep ourselves informed, and be part of the solution? There are many organizations who are looking to do more to care for the environment. One such that I recently learned about is called Clean the World. They work with hotel chains across the United States to collect unused and partially used bottles and bars of soaps, shampoos, and other hygiene products. Those products are then recycled and repackaged to send to other countries in order to combat preventable deaths that are caused by lack of hygiene.
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Amanda M. Orozco 