Why have green curriculum in schools?

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.

• Green Curriculum Resources
• EPA’s website on Environmental Education
• The North American Association for Environmental Education
• The Sierra Club’s webpage on Environmental Education

[image via stock.xchng]