Turning Our Schools Green
By Shawn Dell Joyce
Our children are growing up in a vastly different world from the one in which we grew up. By the time they graduate, much of what we taught them will be obsolete. Our country is in a period of transition, moving away from dependence on fossil fuels to a greener future. Let’s prepare our children by transitioning them and their school environment.
The Eco-Schools USA program is part of an international program led in the U.S. by the National Wildlife Federation. The program sets up school-based action teams of students, administrators, educators and community volunteers. Schools become certified by achieving a series of goals that must be implemented by students, faculty and administrators.
More than 270,000 schoolchildren in Ireland are taking part in the Green-Schools program, which is in its 13th year. Irish youths are leading initiatives on litter, waste, water and travel. Successful schools are recognized at successive levels, from bronze and silver to the highest award — a green flag. Once a school has received four green flags, it is considered a green school.
“Our Green Schools committee has been led by Transition Year students since 2005, and we received our first Green Flag in 2006,” says Anna Kavanagh, a geography teacher in a green school and author of “Green-Schools Meeting the Challenge of Climate Change.” “We’ve been calculating the ecological footprint of the school, which looks at our impact on all of nature’s resources. We’ve introduced recycling bins into the classrooms, carried out renovations to fit the school with energy-saving light sensors, got a compost bin, and planted over 1,000 spring bulbs.”
“We’re going for our third flag and we’ll be focusing on water conservation and quality,” says Eimear Noonan-Tracey, a 16-year-old student in a green school. “It’s about encouraging people to use water wisely, turn off taps, and be aware of pollution, such as that caused by slurry washing into rivers.”
Eco-school programs are democratic and participatory, engaging our children as active participants and citizens of the world community.
Students and staff can work together to reduce litter and waste and run the schools in environmentally conscious ways. Students take home an increased environmental awareness that affects their families and communities, also helping to transition them.
The process engages our children in actively working toward solutions. Children take control of their own environment, learning and making decisions about how to improve both their home and school environments. This is empowering to children, who often are made to feel powerless and frustrated by big issues, such as climate change.
At a time when school budgets are being cut, this type of program pays for itself and helps the schools save money. Reducing energy and water waste in schools will also reduce utility bills. Being an eco-school means taking responsibility for environmental stewardship and participating in the world community. Students can link up to other eco-schools around the world and share environmental information and culture.
The first flag focuses on litter and waste, implementing various initiatives to reduce waste and combat any litter problems they may face. On average, schools have reduced their waste by more than 60 percent, and some schools are operating at zero waste. Once a school receives the first flag, it moves on to the next theme, energy, before tackling the areas of water and travel. Each theme builds on the previous one, and all themes are worked on continuously until they become integrated into the rhythm of the school day.
“I’m doing this because I worry that the world we leave behind won’t be habitable for our children,” Kavanagh says. “We can’t forget about their future.”
To get your school involved, visit http://www.nwf.org/ecoschools and then enlist help from other parents, students, teachers, administrators, PTA members and school environmental clubs.
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