Going Green in Our Schools: Ideas for School Districts Teachers, Parents, and Community

Hopefully with a new school year many of our schools will be opening their doors to not only new students but to new practices; practices that can be educational and early friendly too. As parents organizations, school districts and teachers review their curriculum for the year now is the perfect time to look ahead toward eco-smart changes to both the classroom and the school that can benefit students health, the community and frankly, in many cases the schools bottom line.

Why should schools "go green?"

Environmentally sound practices in schools can be healthier for children. By eliminating many of the toxins and chemicals that are in school buildings children will be more likely to attend instead of being home sick. Higher attendance means, higher attention in the classroom and eventually even higher test scores. It also means that schools, the community and parents can teach our children simple earth friendly habits that they can carry through for a lifetime.

Going green in school districts may cost some money up front but as this Energy Star Award Winning School found out for the investment of $600.00 in software and equipment they were able to save they were able to save approximately $6,500 their first year. Impressed and astounded by their success more changes were initiated with increases in money and energy saving efforts resulting each year. The first year they saved, $300,000, the next $800,000, and in the third 1.2 million dollars. These savings were the ones that a school was able to track, like operating expenses for electricity and gas. Just imagine how much money a school district could save or earn by incorporating simple environmentally friendly habits like recycling paper, double sided printing, or even using something as simple as using the services through Terra Cycle that donate money to schools for the "trash" that is collected. The items collected like Capri Sun juice pouches or individual chip bags are then reused to create other products that can be used like tote bags, purses, or clip boards. After all schools try to raise money using Box Tops for Education and Campbell's Soup Labels, why not raise money and do good for the environment?

Facts and Figures regarding Schools in the United States:

Schools in the United States spend over $7 billion a year in energy cost. For those parents who are worried about pay to play or who have children who can't even have new books in the school district the change in energy costs is not only helpful to the environment but means our schools have more money to spend on what they need to spend it on, educating our children.

Certified "green" schools use about 33% less energy and 32% less water than the average school.

Schools generate on average 4% of a city's garbage.

There are over 130,000 schools K-12 in the U.S.

Only 240 schools have been Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) certified. That's a good start, but we need so many more. (LEED certification refers to a rating system of the U.S. Green Council.)

Schools with better air quality have been shown to have less sick days for kids.

The White House Task on Childhood Obesity has made 70 recommendations to reduce childhood obesity. Among them: use locally grown food in school lunch programs. Locally grown foods are healthier for kids and the environment; and good for the local economy too.

Going Green in School Districts or Individual Schools

Schools and school districts can institute environmentally sound practices through several different methods. Maybe they just don't have the funds to purchase the software or monitoring system that they would like to save energy. In that case they have alternatives. They can begin a community garden in which students can learn about biology first hand and then distribute the foods to the community or use them in the cafeteria. Schools can find ways to cut their energy bills with practices as simple as making sure to turn off lights when they leave the classroom or placing spider plants in the room for better air quality. They can include the community in efforts to raise money through recycling efforts. After all one couple raised almost $4,000 towards their wedding expense simply recycling, just think how much more a whole school could raise.

Going Green in Schools with Teachers

Students are provided with many responsibilities within schools from official positions like President of the Student Body to line leader, hall monitor or board eraser. Teachers can encourage responsible green habits by assigning helpers to help with recycling, a "recycling monitor" that ensures everything that can be recycled is.

Another student can be assigned the responsibility of "lights off" or "computers off" monitor assigned to help teachers remember to turn off or set computers on an energy saving setting when not in use. Not only will this save the schools money but it also helps the students to become conscious of and responsible for conserving energy.

Consider using laminated papers for children to use to practice writing skills over and over again.

Be sure to print on both sides of a paper for instructions or even a half sheet, for notes to send home to parents. Write notes in journals or calendars for parent to read instead of using more paper or try to use email for "notes" home and information from the school district.

Do you have a special project that could use recycled materials, like a shoe box or paper towel boards? Request your students and parents to save recyclable items for educational projects.

Even yogurt cups can be used to mix and hold paints.

Plastic jars can be used to store classroom materials in.

Some parents may ask, "Isn't a shoe box diorama or magazine paper collage going to end up in the recycling or trash bin eventually anyway?" It's a good question and the answer is most likely yes, but if we can get young children to start thinking about ways to reuse items, the reuses may become more permanent as they get older and begin to reuse everything from old mailboxes to jeans.

Going Green with Students

In this Florida middle school students didn't wait for their teachers or school district to institute a green practice regarding water bottles but with the assistance of a teacher began their own eco-friendly program as an alternative to plastic water bottles. Schools can find ways to encourage children as well as to adopt some of the inventive ideas and eco-friendly changes that our students suggest. After all, it is their school too, so who better to know where changes are needed?

Questions for Parents to Ask about Going Green in their Child's School

Is my child's school utilizing locally grown foods as part of their lunch menu?
Are teachers and students encouraged to use both sides of the paper?
Are there convenient recycling bins at my child's school?
What cleaning products are used in your child's school? Are they chlorine based?
Is your school using e-mail when appropriate for e-mail users instead of paper notices? Unless the parent doesn't use e-mail or unless it needs to be signed and returned, e-mail is a parent friendly option that can save a lot of paper on notices from the school to home?
Is the school using sustainable energy or monitoring sources to "cut back" on energy costs?

Our children spend the majority of their day in the classroom. If we as parents are working hard to green the household doesn't it make sense to encourage and demand environmentally sound decisions in our child's school also? Aren't schools supposed to teach our children those skills they need in order to succeed in the future? How can they do that if money and resources are being wasted? Being aware of the world around you and the needs and limitations of the environment is definitely a skill our children will need in the future and by encouraging our schools, teachers and children to develop those schools we can not only be environmentally "friendly" but prepare students for the future to come.

Sources:

Personal Experience

20 years in the field of education

TerraCycle

White House Task Force on Obesity

EPA

LEED