Installation debut offers kids fun activities to promote learning to care for our planet by teaming up with Michigan’s nationally renowned Recycling Raccoons
WHO:
4th-grade students from Flint’s Eisenhower Elementary School
Flint Farmers’ Market Manager Karianne Martus
Flint Children’s Museum Visitor Services Manager Jacky Metcalfe
Michigan Dept. of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) Environmental Justice Public Advocate Regina Strong
WHEN:
10:30-10:45 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 9 | News Conference
10:45-11:15 a.m. | B-roll and photo ops of kids experiencing the new exhibit’s array of hands-on recycling-learning activities
WHERE:
Flint Farmers’ Market | 300 East First St. | Flint, MI 48502
WHAT:
Press conference to announce the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) has established an innovative partnership with the Flint Farmers’ Market to expand recycling education throughout the Genesee County community. This collaboration leverages the market’s significant reach—450,000 annual visitors, including more than 100,000 kids between ages 2-10 across weekly Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday operations—to deliver hands-on environmental education through the Flint Children’s Museum’s interactive space within the market.
The partnership demonstrates the Flint Farmers’ Market and EGLE’s commitment to meeting communities where they are, using creative partnerships to extend the reach and impact of environmental education beyond traditional classroom or office settings. By embedding educational activities within a high-traffic community gathering space, the partnership ensures that recycling education reaches families in a natural, accessible setting where learning can happen alongside everyday activities.
The exhibit features two key interactive components designed to make recycling education engaging and memorable:
Recycling Scavenger Hunt
- Features recycling stream categories with corresponding Recycling Raccoon
- Teaches essential recycling rules including proper cleaning, keeping items loose and cardboard flattening
Magnetic Sorting Game
- Custom magnetic table surface with3D printed game pieces representing various recyclable and non-recyclable items
- Hands-on sorting activity that reinforces proper recycling practices
By placing recycling education within the vibrant, family-friendly environment of the Farmers Market, EGLE and the Flint Farmers Market are making sustainable practices more accessible and engaging for families throughout the region.
