There are plenty of things that universities have been doing, but there are also items […] 8. A gardening day is also a great outdoor activity for clubs or parent groups. 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. Put the following tips into action to make your classroom more environmentally friendly. 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. Other schools offer classes in living environmentally conscious lives, and their lunchrooms offer local produce that is shipped shorter distances, thereby reducing energy use. The reality could not be further from the truth. Twenty percent of Americans go to school every day. You just gulped down a bottle of water and now the empty plastic bottle is taking up your only free hand. Encourage parents and kids to use public transportation or to walk or bike to school. Green the school commute. Most schools have plenty of drinking fountains. 10 Ways to Make Your School a Green Campus Universities around the country are doing everything they can to become a green campus. First, inform yourself about what other schools are doing to become greener. Talk to your child about making “greener” choices and I’m sure they’ll surprise you. When it comes to going green, most schools are struggling. 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. But doing good at home isn’t the only thing that matters. Use carpools to bring many students to school together. 15 Easy Ways Students Can Go Green Every day should be Earth Day. Below are over 50 ways to make your school a more earth-friendly campus. Get people involved in taking and meeting the goals of the Green Schools Alliance to reduce carbon emissions over five years. 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. As we gear up for another school year it is important to get started on the right foot. 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. Encourage the lunchroom to avoid using plastics. 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. Reduce idling outside school; instead, turn off car and bus engines. If there is a municipal or voluntary recycling system in your community make sure that your school is making the most of it. If you want to green your school, everyone needs to feel like they’re part of the team—and people don’t get behind something they don’t understand. If your school doesn’t participate in a recycling program, ask your teachers or your principal about starting one. Sign up for our WEEKLY and MONTHLY newsletters - and never miss out on the … Through all this, students will learn leadership, teamwork, and how great feels to make a positive difference. Cluttered surfaces, cupboards, and corners harbor dust and mold. So, ranging from energy efficiency to recycling, here are our top 8 tips to make your school more eco-friendly and sustainable. Students may be more motivated to make their school greener when they are aware of what similar schools are doing. 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. You know the feeling. Educate The most important way to move your school towards positive changes for the environment is by educating. The staff at Population Education has generated a list of 24 ways to go green in the classroom. Hand sanitizer, baggies, paper towels, tissues, wipes, waste, waste, and more wasteful items that teachers are asking for. Your club may create a campus-wide recycling or composting program; learn about growing your own food with a school garden; organize cleanup and planting days; raise funds for green initiatives; and even take part in statewide and national green schools competitions. Schools often use a huge amount of water to maintain lawns and landscaping. Creating a greener school requires educating the community about the importance of reducing carbon emissions and living more environmentally sustainable lives. Whenever the semester is done you can take out your notes, staple and save, then use the binder for the next semester. You’ll help reduce asthma triggers, and your teachers and custodians will thank you. The art teacher at my school, Katie Hosbach, planned neat projects using entirely recycled materials. Build a Team Positive change often begins with a great team, and that’s where we suggest you start. (Make sure bottles fit your drinking fountains first.). Recycle paper, glass, and plastic. That’s 60 million students, teachers, faculty, and staff who work and learn on our nation’s campuses. Simple signs really do make a difference. You know what it is to be green but, when you’re a high school student or in college with a busy schedule, sometimes it seems like a lot of time and effort that you don’t have to devote to becoming … If this article has you interested in becoming greener, take a look through these reclaimed wooden desks for your home.—http://www.custommade.com/gallery/custom-desks/. Use refillable binders instead of notebooks This is a simple way to save waste. As a student or parent, big changes at your school may be unpopular, or seem impossible. 1. By sharing skills for healthy, sustainable living, you can help give them (and their own children) better chances for a long, happy life. Students all over the United States are checking class schedules and shouldering backpacks for another year of learning and growth. You’re likely to find more support than resistance. 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%). Families across the nation have already taken steps to make their homes more environmentally friendly. Here are some strategies for a green school. 5. Universities around the country are doing everything they can to become a green campus. If you’re ready to go green, start by changing your personal habits and giving your home a green makeover. One in ten school-age kids now suffer from asthma, so poor air quality isn’t just an annoyance—it can be life threatening. November 17, 2020. If you asked your school administration, they’d probably be the first to tell you that they would love to upgrade your school with more modern, sustainable, and healthy features. Simple Ways To Green Your School, No Matter Its Colors. Merch. Make sure that your facility is executing these practices. 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. Most schools have plenty of drinking fountains. How to Green Your School. Work with maintenance staff to put stickers on the paper towel and napkin dispensers reminding students and teachers to use paper products sparingly. That applies to your school in particular. For example: How can you help your school go green? 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. 8 Simple Ways to Improve Your Classroom’s Environmental Footprint Rethink Your Basic Supplies Nearly every type of school supply […] Make green living a part of everyday school life by considering the environment in everything you do. 13 Pathways to Greening Your School align with UN Sustainable Development Goals. Since 2008, the program has been successful in bringing green practices to school systems that want to make the case, through proven results, for staff capacity to address sustainability. Save recyclables for art projects. And schools aren’t just a place for math drills. 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 can do your bit for the planet when you’re at home or if you’re out and about. Offer the school your time to design and install native plants that don’t require a lot of water. Your school needs you – more than you might know. Encourage the school to use buses with cleaner fuels, such as biodiesel or to start investing in hybrid buses. And while many schools struggle with funding, standards, and behavior, the issues of the environment and good health sometimes fall through the cracks. The best place to start is with these five steps to making your school more green. The standard for environmentally friendly schools is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, a framework for building schools that meet certain benchmarks for sustainability, and a certification that more schools are seeking to achieve as they upgrade existing facilities and expand their campuses. 1. Use Green Cleaning Products. You are what you eat…and recycle, throw away and compost… The years ahead are full of challenges for today’s kids. Even if you think your school administration may be opposed to your ideas, you shouldn’t let that stop you from getting involved. 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. These products are free of harmful chemicals and leave very little effect on the environment. Save time for busy parents, conserve energy, and make friends with a community carpool or other transportation group. The Eco-Schools Programme (Eco-Schools Northern Ireland website) When lessons are over. Getting behind a more thorough recycling program is essential. School buildings are the third biggest energy users. During community service days, have students replace existing incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescents. 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