Letter of Intent
Estimated Amount to be requested from the CSF: 
$2,335
Letter of Intent: 

The student advisory board of the Burke Museum will collaborate with SEED's Reduce, Reuse, Recycle committee to present an "After Hours @ The Burke" event for UW students in conjunction with the Burke's upcoming exhibit, "Plastics Unwrapped."

THE EXHIBIT:

"Plastics Unwrapped" will be on view at the Burke Museum from December 20, 2012, through May 27, 2013, and then travel to other museums around the country. It introduces visitors to the history, science, and engineering of plastics; impacts on human health, wildlife, and environments worldwide; and what we can do to make a difference as responsible consumers and recyclers.

The displays include:

  • Wall-size installations of plastic waste, such as: the number of plastic water bottles used every second in the US, the pounds of e-waste discarded in a similar time, the amount of plastic collected on a Washington beach in a single afternoon, plastic bags consumed in a quarter-second—and more!
  • Information on how plastics are made from fossil fuels.
  • Large-format video of plastic waste in world environments
  • Objects from the Burke collections, from pre-plastic raingear to wildlife killed by plastic pollution
  • “Cracking the Code,” display on the meaning of recycling-code numbers on plastic containers
  • A wall of “Better Choices,” including reusable bags and water bottles, biodegradable plastics, products made from recycled plastic, those with no plastic packaging, etc.
  • A Learn-More Lounge, with information to explore on composting, recycling, and other steps that visitors can take to reduce their plastic footprint
  • A Studio Lab space for hands-on activities, including trash-sorting challenges presented by SEED and the UW Garbology Project

THE EVENT

“After Hours @ The Burke” is a quarterly evening event for UW students and their friends, hosted by the Burke Museum’s student advisory board. Each event includes a variety of creative, educational, and social activities organized around a central theme.

This proposed event will be held in Spring quarter, 2013, and focus on plastics and recycling. Activities will be presented by students involved with the Burke, SEED, and other campus partners, such as:

  • Trash/recycle/compost sorting game, presented by SEED
  • Making art from plastic trash, presented by SEED and students enrolled in Burke 101 (earning UW credit for leading visitor activities in the museum)
  • Information on other campus resources related to plastics and recycling
  • Refreshments
  • Other activities, TBD by student advisory board (The final program will be developed over the coming months.)

THE IMPACT

This event, and the associated Plastics exhibit, will be widely publicized across the campus through posters, e-lists, UW media, departmental mailings, and networking with campus groups. By attending the event, students will gain an increased awareness of the environmental issues surrounding plastics and recycling and leave with increased knowledge about how to make changes in their own lives and on campus, promoting a more sustainable community. It will also increase visibility and awareness of sustainability activities on campus among student audiences, boost student attendance for the Burke's educational exhibit, and build mutually beneficial partnerships between the Burke and student organizations that share the museum's sustainability goals.

In the past, "After Hours @ the Burke" Events have been funded by UW Undergraduate Affairs and an IMLS grant, both of which are no longer available. The Burke can cover some costs of these events but routinely seeks outside contributions for programming and publicity. Since this subject matter seeks to increase student engagement with sustainability efforts within the campus community, applying to CSF seemed like a logical funding option.

THE CONTACTS

Danielle Acheampong, primary contact, is a member of the Burke Museum Student Advisory Board and is focusing on the Plastics exhibit for her thesis in Museology. Cassandra Sandkam is a program manager in the Burke Education office; her duties include coordinating the student advisory board and their events. Primary contact at SEED is Rachel DeCordoba, the Reduce Reuse Recycle committee chair.

Contact Information
Primary Contact First & Last Name: 
Danielle Acheampong
Email: 
dacheamp@uw.edu
Full Proposal
This will display after the CSF committee has reviewed and approved your LOI, and after you have received the link to edit your application.
Executive Summary: 

The "After Hours @ the Burke" event will be held at the Burke Museum. The proposed cost is $2,335. The event seeks to reduce plastic waste on campus by providing fun and informational activities that demonstrate what plastics are, the impacts of plastic pollution, and how the campus community can make a difference as responsible consumers and recyclers. The Burke Student Advisory Group is partnering with SEED. 

Total amount requested from the CSF: 
$2 335
This funding request is a: 
Grant
Budget: 
ItemCostDetailsTotal Cost
Facilities Staff$200 Facilities staff $200 2 gallery guards @ 4 hours ea. ($11/hr + benefits) and 2 facility staff @ 3.25 hours ea. ($13/hr + bens)
Supplies$200 Average cost of craft and activity supplies for After Hours event
Posters$75 Printing & design
Ads in UW Daily$880 Two advertisements @ $440 ea
Presenter honoraria$400 Average cost for outside speakers/performers TBD
Refreshments$400 Average cost includes $100 for volunteers; $300 for guests
Photographer$200 To document event & post to Burke social media
TOTAL$2,335 Budget will be adjusted to reflect actual amount raised.
Non-CSF Sources: 
Source/DescriptionAmount RequestedDate RequestedDate Received
Burke Museum$1,500 10/1/201210/1/2012
(value of waived rental fee, in-kind donation)
Project Completion Total: 
$3 835
Sustainability Impact: 
Waste
Environmental Justice
Sustainability Challenge: 

Plastics have quickly become ubiqioutous in modern life, but we know that they have an environmental imact that expands far beyond the useful lifetimes of both plastic products and their users. They also have been proven to leach harmful chemicals into the enviroment as they break down over time. The "After Hours" event will expose these hidden problems to students, making them aware of some of the consequences of using plastic, while providing information on campus recycling efforts and plastics alternatives that they can adopt in their own lives. 

Explain how the impacts will be measured: 

SEED and the Burke Advisory group will work together to create an exit survey for the event that addresses changes in attitudes, understanding, and recycling behavior. Additional measures will include participation numbers, informal learning assessments by presenters and staff, visitor comment sheets, increased participation in SEED and other presenting groups.

Education & Outreach: 

This event will be promoted to the campus through flyers and signage, as well as via digital means, such as the Burke and SEED social media outlets. Working with Emily Newcomer (an advisor for the Plastics exhibit and associated programs), the "Ater Hours" event will highlight existing campus recycling resources as well as demontrate concrete changes that students can make to reduce their impact to the environment. Educationally, the program seeks to provide enough knowlegde for the participants to be able to have a different understanding of how plastic impacts their lives. 

Student Involvement: 

The event will provide numberous volunteer oppotunities for members of SEED,  the Burke Student Advisory Board, and other groups. There will be 2 or 3 students working each of the event activity tables, and presenting the campus information related to sustainability.

We estimate a total of 18-20 volunteers.

Timeline: 
TaskTimeframeEstimated Completion Date
Student planning meetingsWinter quarter
Event presentationSpring quarter2335
Links: 
https://www.burkemuseum.org/events/browse/after_hours_the_burke_plastics_unwrapp…
Year: 
2012-2013
Amount Awarded: 
$2,335
Project status: 
Completed