Lesson Builder

Lesson Plans

Recycling as a Cultural Issue

June 03, 2016 | Middle School, High School
By Catherine Irving

The Doe Run smelting plant. Image by Jason Houston. Peru, 2015.

Dharavi residents gather for the opening performance at the Dharavi Biennale. Image by Matthew Niederhauser. India, 2015.

Recycling receptacles in Yorkin. Image by Diana Crandall. Costa Rica, 2015.

Cardinal Peter Turkson helped guide the writing of Pope Francis' unprecedented teaching document on environmental protection. Here he participates in the Holy See's first-ever press conference at the UN Climate Summit. Image by Justin Catanoso. France, 2014.

A Corquijilca Pasco miner and one of Roque Benavides’ BuenaVentura employees. Image by Jason Houston. Peru, 2015.

The Colour Box, one of three exhibition venues for the Dharavi Biennale. Image by Matthew Niederhauser. India, 2015.

Roberto, 71, in his grocery store in Yorkin. Image by Diana Crandall. Costa Rica, 2015.

Miners in Corquijilca Pasco on lunch break. 2,000 work at this mine. It is co-owned by BuenaVentura with another mining company called El Brocal. Image by Jason Houston. Peru, 2015.

“Hope and Hazard” is a 3D collage made of recycled oil tins and photographs that explores Dharavi as an important industrial hub in Mumbai. Image by Matthew Niederhauser. India, 2015.

Close up of a mountain, which has been dissolved by acid rain from the smelting plant in La Oroya. Image by Jason Houston. Peru, 2015.

Visitors explore the Colour Box under the watchful gaze of a mural of the Goddess Parvati by Ram Devineni and Sham Jhadav. Image by Matthew Niederhauser. India, 2015.

Emel Salazar Yuriulca. Image by Jason Houston. Peru, 2015.

Dharavi residents gather around a sculptural installation outside the Shama Building. Image by Matthew Niederhauser. India, 2015.

La Oroya’s city seal proudly includes the smelting plant, smokestacks belching, and a rainbow above a pastoral landscape. Image by Jason Houston. Peru, 2015.

“Mapping the Heart” is a mural made of fabric cutoffs and other found objects that exposes places where women have experienced violence in Dharavi. Image by Matthew Niederhauser. India, 2015.

Freddy Rojas Chaca. Image by Jason Houston. Peru, 2015.

Visitors rest beneath textiles decorated using traditional blockprinting techniques next to the “Dream Girls” installation, which explores personal choice in a culture of internalized dress restrictions. Image by Matthew Niederhauser. India, 2015.

Jose “Pepe” Alvarez, Peru’s director of biodiversity for the Ministry of the Environment. Image by Justin Catanoso. Peru, 2015.

Dharavi resident Vandana Kori created a sculpture of a pregnant woman out of injection bottles in order to explore the vulnerability of women bearing children in Dharavi. Image by Matthew Niederhauser. India, 2015.

Elena Conterno, National Society of Fisheries chief in Lima. Image by Emilia Catanoso. Peru, 2015.

Architects Prakriti Shukla and Venkat Ashok designed shelving and other furniture pieces in the Trans-Materio-Mutator installation by “upcycling” materials with local Dharavi craftsmen. Image by Matthew Niederhauser. India, 2015.

A set of “Safety Deposit Boxes” dioramas help participants identify physical spaces and activities that make them feel secure amid the chaos of Dharavi. Image by Matthew Niederhauser. India, 2015.

The “Genius of Dharavi” celebrates the tenacity and drive of residents of Dharavi through a series of mock sculptural awards. Image by Matthew Niederhauser. India, 2015.

The Healers of Dharavi installation showcases a series of portraits of those who have dedicated themselves to humanitarian efforts in Dharavi. Image by Matthew Niederhauser. India, 2015.

Please read through the four articles and answer the questions in paragraph form. 

Educator Notes: 

This is a simple lesson to introduce the idea of looking at saving the environment as a cultural issue rather than political. It is meant to be an introductory homework assignment to spark discussion in class. 

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