Quite a Package!
Why packaging?
Quite a Package! teaching material teaches why packing is important. Here you will find videos that reveal the benefits of packages. In these videos Siiri and Rolle show you how packaging fulfills the characteristic requirements of oat flakes, pizza, coffee drink, chocolate or milk products and keeps them fresh and tasty all the way from the fields to your stomach.
Point 1: The taste! When you open the wrapping paper and aluminium foil, the aromas of the chocolate burst forth. How is it possible that you can’t smell it at all before opening? Even if Rolle travelled on a cod fishing trawler, where fish smells everywhere, the taste of chocolate wouldn’t suffer. The packaging makes sure that the food and drink travels all the way from the beginning to the end –your mouth – tasting as good as you could imagine. A good packaging keeps the desired aromas inside and undesired aromas out.
Point 2: You can save by choosing the right size! When Siiri is very hungry, she picks out a big package in the shop. All will not be eaten fresh, and after opening the product begins to stale. Finally, Siiri must throw the spoiled food away. Many consumers act just like her. Instead, it would make sense to think ahead, to avoid throwing away food. Choosing a smaller package may save a lot. It ensures that food and especially the resources already in the product are not wasted.
Point 3: Packaging enables! In the developing countries, 50 % of the food spoils before it reaches the shop. Why doesn’t it happen in Finland? The answer is the sophisticated packaging that allows fast and efficient transportation from producers to shops and on to home. A good packaging is light and protects quite a lot with a small amount of material. Let’s think about the milk carton. It has been developed for more than a hundred years. Nowadays it works so well that we don’t even notice it. Packages quietly serve in our everyday life and Finnish society wouldn’t function without them.
Point 4: The environment! Well-designed packaging prevents the waste of oat flakes, milk or bread as well as possible – optimal packaging is essential for the environment. Because throwing away just one slice of bread causes a bigger carbon footprint than producing the bread packaging. There are two ways in which Siiri and Rolle can consider packaging and the environment: buying optimal sized packages to avoid food waste, and recycling the packages after use. Ideally there would be only packages in the dustbin, and no food at all.
Siiri and Rolle show in the Quite a Package! videos why packaging is important.
teaching material
TREES AND OATMEAL
1. Why is carton made from fresh forest fibers and why is it a good packaging material for oat flakes? A. wood gives flavour to the oats B. the oat flakes have sharp edges, so a package made of paper would likely break C. carton breathes and keeps oat flakes clean without a separate inner bag, which saves material D. it is easy to make holes to a carton package, so that the oat flakes get air 2. Wasted oatmeal porridge causes… A. A smaller carbon footprint than for making the packaging B. An equal sized carbon footprint as for making the packaging C. A larger carbon footprint than for making the packaging 3. How do carton and oat flakes resemble Rolle and Siiri? A. The oat flakes are farmers and carton the lumberjack B. The oat flakes are married to the carton C. They both come from near the fields D. The carton supports the oat flakes, as Siiri supports Rolle
THE MAGICIAN
10. Which of the following is NOT a basic function of the packaging?
A. ensuring product shelf-life so product won't be wasted
B. act as a magician’s magic box
C. protect the product against bruising and facilitate transportation
D. offer different sizes, so that the consumers do not have to buy too much product
E. to be easily recyclable
11. Why should food not go to waste?
A. it’s embarrassing
B. natural resources used for food production and processing would go to waste and burden the environment
C. mother would get mad
D. the dog might still want to eat the food
E. bio waste smells bad
F. all of the above
12. Why does almost 50 percent of harvest in the developing countries spoil on the way from the producer to the consumer?
A. animals eat it on the way
B. shops don't know how to market and sell food
C. no one buys it
D. the products are covered by packages insufficiently or not at all
E. it is so hot there THE CARTON THAT MAKES HISTORY
4. What is caused by the weight of packages?
A. the carton is so heavy, that it can be used as a kettlebell B. you must go to the store by car, because just the cartons alone are that heavy C. cartons are easy to use, because they only weigh 25 grams, which is the same amount as three 2 euro coins. D. trucks move faster because heavy cartons add speed when going downhill 5. What happens to a milk carton when it's empty? A. it is burned in the fireplace B. it is flushed down the toilet C. the empty carton and its lid are recycled in the carton recycle bin D. it is thrown into the trash E. it is dissolved in an acid pool 6. Why is making a milk container out of carton a good idea? A. carton is made from 90% renewable material, wood B. 700 million liters of milk must be efficiently taken from the milk processing plant to the stores and then to people’s homes C. carton protects milk from light, thus keeping it fresh tasting D. a milk pipeline network was found to be an unsuitable milk distribution system E. all of the above
CHOCOLATE GOES AROUND THE WORLD
13. Why do Milli and Kalle specifically like this chocolate? A. Grandma always bought it B. the aluminium crinkles in a fun way when Kalle opens the wrapper C. in the dark Kalle doesn't have the courage to eat anything else D. Milli always gets it as her birthday gift E. because it can be transported for long distances without it absorbing off-tastes
14. Is cod-flavored chocolate good? A. yes B. no C. maybe
15. What cannot be made of recycled aluminium? A. drinking cans B. shells for tealights C. one-euro coins D. liver casserole trays E. ladders
COFFEE ON THE GO
7. Do Rolle and Siiri have to stop exercising together if they want some coffee? A. unfortunately, yes B. no, if they manage to carry a coffee machine up the mountain C. they can exercise, because the coffee can be taken comfortably anywhere in a handy plastic bottle D. instead of coffee they should have boxed juices and restrict their parachuting E. Siiri should at least find a calmer friend than Rolle 8. What does Rolle do to the plastic bottle after enjoying the coffee? A. takes it to a bottle recycling machine and gets the deposit B. throws it down the mountain, trying to aim it at Siiri C. keeps it as a souvenir of the unforgettable trip D. uses it as a basketball with Siiri E. makes them into skateboard wheels
9. Which of the following are NOT the reasons why plastic bottles are used as packaging for beverages? A. they save fuel and materials because of their light weight and durability B. plastic doesn’t break C. you can see what and how much the bottle contains D. they nicely match plastic bags and straws E. you can control the characteristics and shape of plastic bottles on a large scale, according to content and consumer needs
PIZZA AT HOME
16. How can a pizza box keep food warm? A. there are many layers of cardboard B. there is wool in between the cardboard C. the box has its own battery D. the paper is bent into corrugated board, which is a good insulator E. because there are many boxes on top of each other
17. How did Rolle manage to serve Siiri fresh stone oven pizza? A. by bringing the stone oven home B. offering Siiri the pizza over the internet C. transporting the hot pizza home from the restaurant D. taking Siiri to Rome for pizza
18. What do you do to the pizza box when the pizza is eaten? A. I throw it to the woods B. I leave it for my mother to clean C. I put it in the trash D. I put it into cardboard recycling E. I make it into a sled
| Research and writing assignments |
1. Bring and present to class a package that you think is beautiful / easy to use / easy to recycle 2. Write a story about the product and its package, create your own characters or imagine what Rolle and Siiri would do! (Teacher decides appropriate length) 3. Illustrate your story about the product and its package, create your own characters or imagine what Rolle and Siiri would do! (Teacher decides appropriate length) 4. Study the amounts of food waste in developing countries and in your home country and consider ways to reduce food loss. (Teacher decides the way and language of execution; essay, presentation, group work) 5. Think about your own recycling behaviour and tell how you could reduce your own food waste as well as improve packaging recycling at home. |