by Lydia Rueger
Students take the lead to create an environmentally-friendly school
Walk the halls of Ellis Elementary School in southeast Denver, and you’ll hear diversity in the languages spoken. But regardless of nationality, the students at this public school are all speaking the same language when it comes to helping the environment: reduce, reuse, recycle.
Two years ago, Ellis’ Student Leadership Team, made up of first through fifth graders, started a school-wide recycling program that the students themselves manage. Now each classroom is equipped with a recycle box and it is the responsibility of the students to empty the classroom boxes in the large bin behind the school.
“Our kids have really taken the initiative,” says Connie Clifton, assistant principal of Ellis. “They are the ones teaching the adults.”
Many area schools have been going green these days. And though it can initially be more expensive, efforts within Ellis’ immigrant, low-income population prove that protecting our environment knows no socioeconomic status. It just takes a team effort.
What Kids Can Do
Once educated about the need for change, environmental experts agree that kids are great at behavior change. They can take over the responsibility of things like turning out classroom lights, monitoring what goes into recycling/compost bins or taking out the classroom recycling.
Last year, the Ellis Student Leadership Team researched cafeteria waste and determined there was about 30 pounds less waste per day by scheduling recess before lunch. They found that the students ate more of their food if they weren’t rushing to get out to recess. Currently, school officials are working to implement a permanent recess schedule change school-wide.
“I liked keeping track of the data that came in, and I like the process of getting the recycling in the right dumpsters,” says Ellis student Hana Gebru, member of the Student Leadership Team.
“For students, our process is about problem solving,” says Liz Henry of FrontRange earth Force in Denver, an organization that works with schools like Ellis to address environmental issues through student-led projects. “I think the most important thing they can do is to approach problems thoughtfully and take time to make wise decisions.”
What Schools Can Do
School districts have made broad changes too, and more are coming. “There is enough evidence out there to say that greener buildings have better indoor air quality, which leads to a better learning environment and consequently better test scores,” says Joni Rix, Environmental Project Manager for Denver Public Schools. “I also believe that it is only a matter of time before regulations are passed that require green building in schools, so we might as well be ahead of any regulations.”
So far, DPS has switched to Green Seal certified cleaning products, is using geothermal heating and cooling in certain schools and has replaced inefficient lighting with bulbs that use less energy. The district is hiring a Sustainability Coordinator to research and implement greener practices full-time. By early 2009, Rix hopes to have a contract in place with Denver Recycles to institute school recycling district-wide.
In Boulder, schools are partnering with Eco-Cycle to become Green Star Schools, in which overall waste is down by two-thirds. “Most schools are not recycling all they can be,” says Nancy Dudek, Green Star Schools Coordinator. Dudek educates staff, faculty and students about what is recyclable and compostable, so everyone at the school knows their role in the process.
A simple change Dudek says schools should make is eliminating or reducing the amount of brightly colored paper used, as it is not recyclable. “The type of dye used goes all the way through the paper fibers, and you cannot get the color out,” she explains. If colored paper is needed, Dudek suggests using pastel colors.
What Parents Can Do
In Green Star Schools, parents are asked to volunteer as cafeteria recycling monitors and to help maintain green practices by being involved in Parent-Teacher Organizations.
No matter what goes on at school, parents can pack lunch food in reusable containers, send silverware and cloth napkins and avoid individually packaged snacks. They can model energy savings by turning off lights, powering down computers at night and lowering the home’s temperature by even one degree.
“Every action we take has an impact. It’s important to think about if there is a way to do things that can impact the environment less,” says Lisa Bardwell, executive director of FrontRange Earth Force. “It’s things like this that allow us to make a difference, one step at a time.”
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