Tree Hugging Family » Green Schools

Promoting youth nature appreciation

Jennifer — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 03:43:27 +0000

Kids aren’t simply born loving nature. You’ve got to help them to develop an appreciation for nature, so in turn they want to protect this planet. Good ways to do this include:

Hold a family hiking day once a month.
Encourage more outdoor minded field trips at your child’s school.
Plan games and activities that encourage outdoor time such as bird watching, rock collecting, plant identification, nature scavenger hunts, and more.
Get involved in your local community garden, or if you have the means, planting a garden at home.
Plan green travel – i.e. for family vacations, plan a camping trip vs. a trip to a resort.
Get the kids involved in nature minded art projects and crafts.
Check out books from the library on nature topics.
Do a family community clean-up day in a local park or other outdoor area.

Lastly, get involved with a group or program that supports a life-long love of nature and outdoor activities such as…

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Why have green curriculum in schools?

Jennifer — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 16:25:11 +0000

According to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) a green school is a “School building or facility that creates a healthy environment conducive to learning while saving energy, resources and money. Green schools are built and/or operate with the goals of sustainability in mind.”

There are many elements that make up the whole of a green school – energy efficiency, recycling, school gardening and composting, sustainable materials, transportation, and indoor air quality. All of these are important, but none are quite as important as actually teaching kids about the environment. You can have a super charged green school, but if you’re not making sure kids know about all these elements that make up a green school and learn about the benefits of green living, the school is missing a major point.

Benefits of a greener curriculum:

Environmental curriculum can easily be incorporated into all subject areas, from math and science to English and art. All aspects of life and learning can be made more eco-friendly, so options for curriculum planning are endless.
Kids naturally swing toward eco-issues. Science fair administrators note that without prodding, about 40% of all kid planned science fair projects relate to the environment.
Now is when kids need to learn about the environment. It’s good if you’re a parent teaching eco-ethcis in the home, but unless you homeschool or unschool, your kids spend more time per day with their teachers and schools then you (in most cases). This is a large part of their world that can either teach or not teach green.
According to the Earth Day Network, research has found that schools that teach core subjects using an environmental context have “Reduced discipline and classroom management problems, increased engagement and enthusiasm for learning and greater student pride and ownership in accomplishments.“
When students have a more positive eco-experience at school it transfers to their family, the community, their friends and more which raises overall awareness of environmental issues and their solutions.

If your kids aren’t involved with green learning at school, it’s up to you as a parent to advocate that your school bring in some green lesson plans. If you don’t yet think green education matters read the book Earth in Mind; it’ll change the way you think about education.

Get other parents on board and take your concerns to the school board. If your school needs suggestions and help with planning for a green curriculum, offer up the following resources.

[image via stock.xchng]

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Back to school the green way!

Jennifer — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 06:41:20 +0000

School is starting up soon and it’s time to start planning your green school efforts. Tree Hugging Family has covered a lot of school topics here already, but this year I’ll be bringing in some new cool ideas, green school gear, and tips. If you’ve got a specific question about greening your school experience (for you or the kids) this year, this would be a good time to ask. Leave a question in the comments and I’ll try to cover it soon.

That said, before we take off for the 2009-2010 school year, let’s look at some past resources plus a few new ones…

Green school basics:

Green education for the smallest tree huggers:

Green your college experience:

Green school gear:

Green your school lunch:

[image via stock.xchng]

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Recycled & Sustainable Pencil Cases

Jennifer — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 04:00:00 +0000

Not all schools still require pencil cases, but just in case….

Case made from recycled tires:

Doy Bags – Jungle Juice Mixed Fruits Pencil Case – made from recycled juice packs.

Cargo Eco-Friendly Pencil Box Storage Container

Artist Pencil Box

These are all nice choice – and all have green aspects.

Click here to learn about all the current contests, themes, and green challenges going on at Tree Hugging Family in August 2008

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LEED for Schools

Peggy — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:00:23 +0000

If your school isn’t already LEED certified, you can stand up at the next PTA meeting and suggest it. Sometimes all it takes is one voice.

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a green building rating system that uses a third-party to certify buildings as green. It’s a program of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

The benefits of having a green school are outstanding. Not only is energy saved, but students can learn in a healthier and more productive environment. Teacher retention is higher at LEED-certified schools. And the money saved via increased energy efficiency can go towards education, not electric bills!

Learn more about LEED for Schools at Build Green Schools.

Image via stock.xchng

Click here to learn about all the current contests, themes, and green challenges going on at Tree Hugging Family in August 2008

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Past Tips for Greening Your School Experience

Jennifer — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 12:00:04 +0000

Before we get going on our green your back to school experience this August, I figured we’d look back at some of the green school issues we’ve already covered.

Greener school info:

Homeschool projects & other stuff:

Click here to learn about all the current themes and events going on at Tree Hugging Family in August 2008

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Weekly Green Audit for Youth: School Sustainability

Jennifer — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 20:01:28 +0000

This week’s green audit is going to be kid specific; although adults are certainly welcome to participate. We’re going to be looking at schools, or rather the greening of schools.

What we’ll be looking at this week will include:

How schools can protect resources such as paper, water, and electricity.
What’s scary and not so green about the school cafeteria.
Schools supplies and how they affect sustainability.
The school grounds; including cleaning and maintenance.
School-based traffic and transportation.

We’ll also take a look at some very green schools, and a few other random issues that affect school greenness. I’ll offer some easy checklist formats this week, so that the kids in your family can participate easily in learning about the impact their school has on the environment.

For youth – how to get started with your green school audit:

Not all schools have environmental guidelines. Many don’t have complete guidelines. Some kids have tomorrow off for President’s Day; however, when you return to school, ask your teacher if he or she is aware of the environmental guidelines for your school. Ask at the main office. Try to find out, who, if anyone knows what the exact eco-guidelines for your school and district are.

Don’t be surprised if you get some blank looks. Like I said, not all schools have eco-sense. Not yet anyway. The point of this green school audit will be for you and your school friends to start a process of change. Your audit can help to remind people that the earth’s resources are important. If people, if you, don’t question what your school is doing to save the environment, maybe no one will.

Your one voice can change everything. Think about it. Tomorrow, we’ll get going on our green school checklists.

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