MSU Recycling Center collaborates with teens on NOVA video project

For the past six months, high school students in collaboration with WKAR in East Lansing have been investigating local impacts of climate change and proposed solutions in their communities. The videos they produced are part of the NOVA Science Studio program’s “Climate Across America” initiative.

MSU collaborated with the team on multiple videos in this series which focuses on topics like Asian carp, the future of Michigan’s cherry industry, packaging waste, and more. The MSU Surplus Store & Recycling Center worked with teens from Davison High School on a video about food waste. 

In Food Waste, the student production team visited the MSU Recycling Center’s vermicompost program to see how MSU’s food waste is converted into compost for use in MSU gardens and for sale in the Surplus Store.
 

"Food waste breaks down into methane gas, the second most abundant anthropogenic greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide accounting for about 20 percent of global emissions," explains the video. SSRC's vermicompost operation diverts that food waste from landfills and converts it into nutrient-rich compost.

When it comes to the NOVA reporting process, Kalob H., a high school junior in Davison, Michigan said, “We learned to not change people’s opinion, just present the evidence. We want to show them the facts and not tell people what to believe."

Learn more about the 2023 NOVA Science Studio and watch the whole series of videos on the WKAR YouTube NOVA Science Studio playlist.