3. Your school needs you – more than you might know. Carpools are the time-tested solution, but if you live close enough to your school, think about organizing a group to ride bikes or walk together. Other schools offer classes in living environmentally conscious lives, and their lunchrooms offer local produce that is shipped shorter distances, thereby reducing energy use. Unfortunately, most schools have tight budgets, and they have to make tough choices about how to allocate funds. Recycle paper, glass, and plastic. From the ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ campaign to using naturally fueled buses, being an eco friendly campus is not only the “in” thing, but the smart thing. First, students can conduct an audit of their school's light and energy use and then monitor the school's energy use on a monthly basis. Shawna Newman. Universities around the country are doing everything they can to become a green campus. Parents and students can also contribute to making their schools greener and take steps such as the following: Encourage parents and kids to use public transportation or to walk or bike to school. Parents and students can also contribute to making their schools greener and take steps such as the following: In addition, students can work with the administration and maintenance staff at their schools to reduce the energy use. HOW TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE A school built for green education The newly opened Langley science academy in Slough ticks just about every box - airy, light, modern interiors make for good learning environments, and the school building is stuffed full of eco features: MERCH. Search. Unfortunately, American kids are in the midst of a well-documented obesity epidemic, which threatens their longevity. One of the best ways you can take a step toward making your school greener is by using green cleaning products. 5. If your school doesn’t participate in a recycling program, ask your teachers or your principal about starting one. Green the school commute. The Green Schools Alliance provides students with a step-by-step plan to create a task force and reduce carbon emissions over a suggested two-year timetable. Encourage parents and kids to use public transportation or to walk or bike to school. Green Your School: 5 Ways to Convert Your School into a Center for Sustainability. That’s partly due to aging school buildings, but also related to an overall decrease in indoor air quality thanks to reduced air circulation and more synthetic substances in our daily lives. The GSA program involves 5 million students at more than 8,000 schools, districts, and organizations from 48 U.S. states and 91 countries. Students all over the United States are checking class schedules and shouldering backpacks for another year of learning and growth. In every room, bathroom, hallway, and lunchroom, post reminders to students and teachers to turn off lights when they’re not using them; save water while washing their hands; unplug energy-sucking devices; and adjust thermostats when leaving for the day. The reality could not be further from the truth. First, inform yourself about what other schools are doing to become greener. Recycling helps reduce the amount of trash that goes into the landfill, so you’re helping the environment and keeping your school clean at the same time. School buildings are the third biggest energy users. Reduce idling outside school; instead, turn off car and bus engines. Simple Ways To Green Your School, No Matter Its Colors. NEWSLETTERS . In elementary and middle school, I remember using common household recyclables in almost every art project. J.H. The more you find out about your school and how it works, the more you will gain to share with all of the students, faculty and staff in the building. Anyone can join the Green Schools Alliance, but you don't need to be a part of a formal program to implement environment-friendly practices in your school. Encourage your child to wash their hands instead of using the hand sanitizer at school. Toxic cleaning supplies, pest poisons, paints, furnishing finishes, and even chemical fertilizers and ice melt threaten kids’ health. Here are some ideas to try: Some of the biggest health concerns lurking in your classroom exists under all your stuff. Work with maintenance staff to put stickers on the paper towel and napkin dispensers reminding students and teachers to use paper products sparingly. A gardening day is also a great outdoor activity for clubs or parent groups. Her blog, "Uprooted," won the Tripbase Eco-Travel blog award in 2009 and 2011. Turning walking to, or from, school into a fun event can encourage families to take the time to walk, which has many benefits beyond simply saving gas, reducing emissions, and minimizing congestion on our roads. Schools, in particular, are in a great position to educate future generations and make sure that good environmental habits are learned and adopted from an early age. Notify the maintenance staff as well so your hard work doesn’t end up in the waste stream. Kids are naturally concerned about the planet and ensuring its health. You can help your school take action to improve indoor air quality and reduce exposure to toxic substances for all teachers and students. Encourage the school to sign the Green Schools Initiative. That’s a mistake that we need to stop making. While you may not be able to change everything at the beginning of the school year, there are some simple ways to help your school “go green!” Here they are. Here are some strategies for a green school. None of us were born knowing how to live healthily and sustainably. While tight budgets may make it a challenge for schools to make big changes, here are some inexpensive ways to get started greening your school. For example: How can you help your school go green? That’s 60 million students, teachers, faculty, and staff who work and learn on our nation’s campuses. One of the biggest ways to reduce waste at your school is to get students and teachers to stop using disposable water bottles and other single-use containers. Without a doubt, the majority of public schools could use upgrades to help combat these dangers. Ask your school administration to seek out green solutions to various issues, including sidewalk weed control, ice melt in the winter months, and cleaning products. These products are free of harmful chemicals and leave very little effect on the environment. You’re likely to find more support than resistance. Take environmental education into your own hands. See our list below for our top tips on making your school clean and green: Encourage and enable recycling and composting A significant proportion of what goes into landfill waste could easily be recycled, reused, or repurposed. You can do your bit for the planet when you’re at home or if you’re out and about. From automatic lights to renewable solar and wind energy, the opportunities to green your school abound. If you’re already established in a school and know the administrators, you can talk with them about their school supply lists and make recommendations for eco-friendly supplies. Energy meters that are visible to any student and teacher aren’t just great learning tools— they can also encourage everyone to conserve energy and water throughout the day. You’ll help reduce asthma triggers, and your teachers and custodians will thank you. Schools often use a huge amount of water to maintain lawns and landscaping. Currently, she lives in Reno, Nevada, where she spends her time learning to garden in the desert and blogging for Burning Man each September. You are what you eat…and recycle, throw away and compost… Getting behind a more thorough recycling program is essential. Use carpools to bring many students to school together. Apply for a Green Schools Fellowship – The Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council places three-year sustainability directors in school districts through its Fellowship Program. They’re also toxic to cleaning and maintenance staff. Additionally, the meters notify the school of any serious air quality issues, such as high CO2 levels, or elevated moisture that could cause mold. This can also lead to added stress for eco-minded parents and students. Make sure that your facility is executing these practices. Even though common school items like notebook paper, soda bottles, and aluminum cans are easily recycled in most cities, school recycling rates in the U.S. tend to be low (for example, 16.5% of the trash produced in New York City is recycled, but the recycling rate in schools is only 9.5%). Spearhead the use of "trayless" eating. The kids of today will be the architects and thought leaders of tomorrow. A student club can take real action on campus issues. There are plenty of things that universities have been doing, but there are also items […] 1. Twenty percent of Americans go to school every day. Monitoring not only creates savings for the school’s power, heat, and water budgets, but can also be incorporated into friendly school-wide competitions and classroom sustainability lessons. All it takes is a little elbow grease! Many schools are taking the pledge of the Green Schools Alliance to make their campuses more sustainable and to reduce their carbon footprints by 30 percent over five years. The years ahead are full of challenges for today’s kids. Their helpful tool kit provides actions schools can take such as using daylight instead of overhead lighting, weatherizing windows and doors, and installing Energy Star appliances. Families across the nation have already taken steps to make their homes more environmentally friendly. Encourage the lunchroom to avoid using plastics. By Lauren Boucher | August 21, 2014. School classrooms are the perfect place to practice conservation and eco-friendliness. Simple signs really do make a difference. A city audit report in San Diego found that 76% of landfill waste was actually recyclable materials. Schools allow young people to share life experiences and lessons, and to learn the values they’ll carry with them for a lifetime. Make recycling bins readily accessible. Sign up for our WEEKLY and MONTHLY newsletters - and never miss out on the … Start a water bottle campaign. You and your students can create an action plan, inspire others, and celebrate a healthier, more sustainable school in just a few months. Merch. 1) Start a green team: Join forces with other eco-conscious students to form a Green Team that evaluates the school’s environmental programs and brainstorms innovative ways to improve them. Many schools have started sharing their energy use in this way. 1. Even if you think your school administration may be opposed to your ideas, you shouldn’t let that stop you from getting involved. It has entered the realm of education, and administrators and school officials are looking for ways to go green in their schools. But doing good at home isn’t the only thing that matters. We were encouraged to keep tissue boxes, newspapers, magazines, toilet paper rolls, milk jugs, and more. From the ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ campaign to using naturally fueled buses, being an eco friendly campus is not only the “in” thing, but the smart thing. Organize some classmates or fellow parents to stay after school once a month to declutter. When it comes to going green, most schools are struggling. Start a program at your school. Be kind our planet and stuff your wallet by putting these 15 suggestions into practice. You … All this work by schools around the world has helped the Green Cup Challenge to yield a savings of more than 9.7 million kW hours. 24 Ways to Make Your Classroom Eco Friendly This Year. If there is a municipal or voluntary recycling system in your community make sure that your school is making the most of it. Your Green Team can be a uniting and visionary force, and can have a ripple effect throughout the community. It’s a lot easier to understand energy use when you can see it in action. Consider teaming up with local restaurants, farms, or even food trucks to bring fresh, local food to school once a month or once every few months. Most schools have plenty of drinking fountains. (Make sure bottles fit your drinking fountains first.). The staff at Population Education has generated a list of 24 ways to go green in the classroom. 8 Simple Ways to Improve Your Classroom’s Environmental Footprint Rethink Your Basic Supplies Nearly every type of school supply […] Students may be more motivated to make their school greener when they are aware of what similar schools are doing. Talk to your child about making “greener” choices and I’m sure they’ll surprise you. 1. By sharing skills for healthy, sustainable living, you can help give them (and their own children) better chances for a long, happy life. The once refreshing water bottle is now a nuisance, and you just want to get rid of it. School Supplies. 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