Green Options » schools http://greenoptions.com/tag/schools Posts tagged 'schools' Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:51:30 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 en Irish Students Asked to Bring Their Own Toilet Paper to School http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/10/06/irish-students-asked-to-bring-their-own-toilet-paper-to-school/ http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/10/06/irish-students-asked-to-bring-their-own-toilet-paper-to-school/#comments Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:51:30 +0000 Jennifer Lance http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/10/06/irish-students-asked-to-bring-their-own-toilet-paper-to-school/ BPA in Recycled toilet paper leaches into waterTough economic times have caused one school in Ireland to ask students to bring their own toilet paper. Parents received the following request last week from principal Catherine O’Neill:

Dear parent, from time to time we will request your daughter to bring in a toilet roll to her class teacher. These rolls will be specifically for your daughter’s class and will be dispensed by the class teacher. We would also request that your daughter has tissues in her sack at all times.

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]]> http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/10/06/irish-students-asked-to-bring-their-own-toilet-paper-to-school/feed/ Fundraising for Schools, Charities, and Nonprofits with Freelanthropy Toolbar http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/08/14/fundraising-for-schools-charities-and-nonprofits-with-freelanthropy-toolbar/ http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/08/14/fundraising-for-schools-charities-and-nonprofits-with-freelanthropy-toolbar/#comments Fri, 14 Aug 2009 18:35:05 +0000 Derek Markham http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/08/14/fundraising-for-schools-charities-and-nonprofits-with-freelanthropy-toolbar/ FreelanthropyIf you’re looking for an easy, free way to raise money for your favorite environmental group, nonprofit, school, or charity, the new Freelanthropy toolbar can turn your searches into cash!

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]]> http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/08/14/fundraising-for-schools-charities-and-nonprofits-with-freelanthropy-toolbar/feed/ Obesity Risk Reduced With Water Fountains in Schools http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/04/04/obesity-risk-reduced-with-water-fountains-in-schools/ http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/04/04/obesity-risk-reduced-with-water-fountains-in-schools/#comments Sat, 04 Apr 2009 17:42:36 +0000 Derek Markham http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/04/04/obesity-risk-reduced-with-water-fountains-in-schools/ water fountain

A study of about 3000 children in 32 schools in Germany found that installing water fountains, giving the children refillable water bottles, and using teaching lessons promoting the health benefits of water consumption reduced the risk of being overweight by 31%.

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]]> http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/04/04/obesity-risk-reduced-with-water-fountains-in-schools/feed/ Will the Feds Finally Boot Junk Food From Public Schools? http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/03/07/will-the-feds-finally-boot-junk-food-from-public-schools/ http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/03/07/will-the-feds-finally-boot-junk-food-from-public-schools/#comments Sun, 08 Mar 2009 05:26:53 +0000 Derek Markham http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/03/07/will-the-feds-finally-boot-junk-food-from-public-schools/ Representative Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) is introducing a bill to Congress that would finally get junk foods out of our schools, addressing skyrocketing childhood obesity rates and bringing school nutrition standards forward 40 years.

“Despite pockets of progress in some states and school systems, most schools make junk food readily available to children. But junk food in schools helps fuel an epidemic of obesity and diabetes in children. And, it undercuts the considerable federal investment we make in the healthy school lunch program.” - Margo Wootan, Center for Science in the Public Interest nutrition policy director

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]]> http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/03/07/will-the-feds-finally-boot-junk-food-from-public-schools/feed/ Idling: Why Do We Do It? http://sustainablog.org/2009/02/18/idling-why-do-we-do-it/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/02/18/idling-why-do-we-do-it/#comments Wed, 18 Feb 2009 21:31:14 +0000 Robin Shreeves http://sustainablog.org/2009/02/18/idling-why-do-we-do-it/ no idlingA recently passed New York City law cuts down the acceptable limit of vehicle idling time in school zones from 3 minutes to 1 minute. According to an AP report, the law also gives additional city agencies the ability to issue violations and creates a way for officials to track those violations.

Idling in school zones is not a city problem, only. Take a look at any suburban grammar school, like the one my sons attend, and you’ll see an after school mess of idling cars and school buses. What does this say about our culture?

  • We aren’t concerned about the waste of our natural resources?
  • We’ve got money to burn in our gas tanks?
  • We don’t care about the pollution we’re creating, even when it’s harming our children?
  • We’re too darn lazy to turn our car engines off?

Yep, all of the above.

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]]> http://sustainablog.org/2009/02/18/idling-why-do-we-do-it/feed/ Use Stimulus Package Spending to Get the Lead Out of School Water Systems http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/02/07/use-stimulus-package-spending-to-get-the-lead-out-of-school-water-systems/ http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/02/07/use-stimulus-package-spending-to-get-the-lead-out-of-school-water-systems/#comments Sun, 08 Feb 2009 05:33:29 +0000 Derek Markham http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/02/07/use-stimulus-package-spending-to-get-the-lead-out-of-school-water-systems/ Lead in Water at Schools

Water fountains in some L.A. schools tested up to 500 times the government level for lead, and high lead levels have been found in our capitol’s water system, but covered up with ‘science fraud‘.

In a nation that’s getting ready to distribute an economic stimulus package of astronomic size, where is the money to stop poisoning our kids?

The author of the exposé of the D.C. lead incident, professor Marc Edwards, an environmental engineer, had this to say: “There’s no question that lead in schools is a big national issue —especially in some of the older urban cities that have this old plumbing infrastructure.”

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]]> http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/02/07/use-stimulus-package-spending-to-get-the-lead-out-of-school-water-systems/feed/ Solar Schools Better Equipped for Recession http://cleantechnica.com/2009/02/04/solar-school/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/02/04/solar-school/#comments Wed, 04 Feb 2009 20:00:34 +0000 Sarah Lozanova http://cleantechnica.com/2009/02/04/solar-school/ oil prices

U.S. schools spend more on utilities than books and computers combined.

Public schools spent $8 billion on utilities in 2002, up by $2 billion from 2000, and the fluctuating utility and oil prices can be daunting when planning for the future.  Although natural gas and oil prices have come down significantly from their high last July, it is important to remember their recent impact.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/02/04/solar-school/feed/ The National Campaign to Hire Artists to Work in Schools Embraces National Green Arts Corps http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/01/16/the-national-campaign-to-hire-artists-to-work-in-schools-embraces-national-green-arts-corps/ http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/01/16/the-national-campaign-to-hire-artists-to-work-in-schools-embraces-national-green-arts-corps/#comments Fri, 16 Jan 2009 15:35:48 +0000 Jennifer Lance http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/01/16/the-national-campaign-to-hire-artists-to-work-in-schools-embraces-national-green-arts-corps/ Hire artists to work in the schools as part of a National Green Arts CorpsEditor’s note: The following post was written by Michael D. Nolan and was sent to me by the Community Arts and Murals Blog. This is something I strongly believe in as a teacher and artists, and I love the idea of a Green Arts Corps.

The National Campaign to Hire Artists to Work in Schools

By Michael D. Nolan

Some of our nation’s greatest artists will join Barack Obama on center stage for the historic presidential Inaugural on January 20.  Yo-Yo Ma, Aretha Franklin, Itzhak Perlman and poet Elizabeth Alexander will lend their exceptional creative talents to an event financed to a large degree by Hollywood artists like Tom Hanks, Oprah Winfrey, Sharon Stone and Steven Spielberg.

Ironically, these great artists grew up in environments which fostered the arts in the schools.

Today, when it comes to national policy and Congressional appropriations, artists are relegated offstage.  Just about every major civilized country has a Ministry of Culture functioning at a Cabinet level.  Our small National Endowments of the Arts and Humanities are lucky each budget cycle if they can survive decimation or demise.

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]]> http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/01/16/the-national-campaign-to-hire-artists-to-work-in-schools-embraces-national-green-arts-corps/feed/ Recess or Ritalin: Which Would You Chose for your Child? http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/10/27/recess-or-ritalin-which-would-you-chose-for-your-child/ http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/10/27/recess-or-ritalin-which-would-you-chose-for-your-child/#comments Mon, 27 Oct 2008 23:49:26 +0000 Jennifer Lance http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/10/27/recess-or-ritalin-which-would-you-chose-for-your-child/ kids playing at recessI find two trends in education alarming: the growing number of schools that eliminate recess and physical education programs and the large number of children on Ritalin for attention problems. As a teacher, I can’t help but wonder if the attention problems some children experience is due to the structure and expectations of education and life in the 21st century. Children were not designed to just sit at desks all day long without much opportunity for movement and interaction.

A friend of mine, who also happens to be our school nurse, has a son with ADD.  This child takes rRitalin during the school year; however, during summer vacation, he is drug free.  It is only during the structured, restricted environment of school that this child needs drugs to focus.  Given recent research on the subject, I can’t help but believe recess and play matters greatly for all children, especially those suspected of having attention problems.

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]]> http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/10/27/recess-or-ritalin-which-would-you-chose-for-your-child/feed/ How Remote Argentinian Schools Got Solar Power http://ecoworldly.com/2008/09/16/solar-power-to-faraway-schools-in-argentina-its-a-fact/ http://ecoworldly.com/2008/09/16/solar-power-to-faraway-schools-in-argentina-its-a-fact/#comments Tue, 16 Sep 2008 19:54:29 +0000 Martín Cagliani http://ecoworldly.com/2008/09/16/solar-power-to-faraway-schools-in-argentina-its-a-fact/ Argentina Solar Power in SchoolsThe province of Corrientes, in Argentina, is accomplishing the goal of bringing solar power to faraway schools. On July, we told you about this proyect but in Catamarca province.

Last year the provincial government announced the Renewable Energies Program for Rural Sectors and started to placed solar panels on schools. We told you about it here.

Today in Corrientes 75 out of 85 rural schools already have solar energy that is used to power lights, fans, televisions, computers and other equipment.

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]]> http://ecoworldly.com/2008/09/16/solar-power-to-faraway-schools-in-argentina-its-a-fact/feed/ How Safe is Your Lawn? Organic Lawn Care, Lead in your Backyard, and the Safety of Astroturf http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/08/18/how-safe-is-your-lawn-organic-lawn-care-lead-in-your-backyard-and-the-safety-of-astroturf/ http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/08/18/how-safe-is-your-lawn-organic-lawn-care-lead-in-your-backyard-and-the-safety-of-astroturf/#comments Mon, 18 Aug 2008 08:25:40 +0000 Jennifer Lance http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/08/18/how-safe-is-your-lawn-organic-lawn-care-lead-in-your-backyard-and-the-safety-of-astroturf/ chemical lawn fertilizer signWe spend a lot of time on our organic lawn.  Not only does the green grass provide a psychological respite to the dry, hot summer, but it also provides our home with forest fire protection. In other more urban areas experiencing drought conditions, many people are seeking alternatives to a living lawn, such as astroturf.  Whatever your families choice for a lawn (or not to have a lawn), the safety of this play surface for your children should be a concern.

Pesticides and Herbicides in Lawn Care

As child growing up in suburban Ohio, I remember seeing little flags on my neighbor’s chemically treated lawn that read “Just fertilized.  Keep pets and children off”.  Even at a young age, I wondered how safe these chemical applications were.  According to Mother Jones:

One common herbicide in popular “weed and feed” lawn-care products, 2,4-D, constituted about 50 percent of Agent Orange, and has been linked to birth defects, neurological problems, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and liver and kidney damage. In Canada, as many as 160 municipalities have banned the use of pesticides with 2,4-D.

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]]> http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/08/18/how-safe-is-your-lawn-organic-lawn-care-lead-in-your-backyard-and-the-safety-of-astroturf/feed/ New Green Campaign in Turkish Schools Will Save 1.27 Million Trees a Year! http://ecoworldly.com/2008/07/08/new-green-campaign-in-turkish-schools-will-save-127-million-trees-a-year/ http://ecoworldly.com/2008/07/08/new-green-campaign-in-turkish-schools-will-save-127-million-trees-a-year/#comments Tue, 08 Jul 2008 22:59:50 +0000 Raz Godelnik http://ecoworldly.com/2008/07/08/new-green-campaign-in-turkish-schools-will-save-127-million-trees-a-year/

Green news from Turkey. The Turkish newspaper Today’s Zaman reported on a new new book exchange campaign launched by the Ministry of Education that will be aimed at “saving millions of trees, protecting the environment and contributing to the country’s economy.”

Every year 155 million books are distributed by the Ministry to students in Turkey. Most of these books, according to the article, are thrown into the trash at the end of the year. The cost of these books to the Turkish public is more than USD 800 million annually.

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]]> http://ecoworldly.com/2008/07/08/new-green-campaign-in-turkish-schools-will-save-127-million-trees-a-year/feed/ Solar Cells for Remote Areas of Argentina http://ecoworldly.com/2008/07/01/solar-cells-for-remote-areas-of-argentina/ http://ecoworldly.com/2008/07/01/solar-cells-for-remote-areas-of-argentina/#comments Tue, 01 Jul 2008 20:46:44 +0000 Martín Cagliani http://ecoworldly.com/2008/07/01/solar-cells-for-remote-areas-of-argentina/

Several months ago we told you that the Argentinean government was helping the rural zones with their power problems by installing solar energy. That time we are talking about solar energy kitchens for schools in Jujuy. Currently the government is installing solar cells in the province of Catamarca to empower schools, homes and public dependences.

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]]> http://ecoworldly.com/2008/07/01/solar-cells-for-remote-areas-of-argentina/feed/ Solar S’mores, Blackout Wednesdays Win Florida Kids Green Honors http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/06/21/solar-smores-blackout-wednesdays-win-florida-kids-green-honors/ http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/06/21/solar-smores-blackout-wednesdays-win-florida-kids-green-honors/#comments Sat, 21 Jun 2008 18:56:53 +0000 Shirley Siluk Gregory http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/06/21/solar-smores-blackout-wednesdays-win-florida-kids-green-honors/ NEED Program logo.Two groups of Pensacola kids are off to Washington, D.C., after taking top honors in the National Energy Education Development Program (NEED). Among the achievements that helped get them there: s’mores baked in a solar oven and Blackout Wednesdays in which students turned off classroom lights and relied on sunlight instead.

The Suter Energy Savers, a team of fourth-graders at Suter Elementary School, won at the elementary level for their work on 28 conservation projects in all. Their efforts included collecting $200 worth of recyclables, distributing flyers at area coffee shops urging customers to switch to compact fluorescent lightbulbs and making s’mores in a solar oven.

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]]> http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/06/21/solar-smores-blackout-wednesdays-win-florida-kids-green-honors/feed/ The Great Copy Machine Epidemic Results Are In! http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/04/28/the-great-copy-machine-epidemic-results-are-in/ http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/04/28/the-great-copy-machine-epidemic-results-are-in/#comments Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:14:10 +0000 Jennifer Lance http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/04/28/the-great-copy-machine-epidemic-results-are-in/ Great Copy Machine EpidemicRemember the Great Copy Machine Epidemic: “unidentified contagious disease striking school photocopiers, causing them to chew up trees and contributing to climate change”? On April 17, over 23,000 students in 30 schools turned off their school photocopiers and attempted to diagnose the disease. The results are in, and your votes are needed. Please visit the Great Copy Machine Epidemic website to vote for your top three choices before this Friday! It looks like these kids had fun while learning about paper and energy waste at their schools.

Previous posts on the Great Copy Machine Epidemic:

]]> http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/04/28/the-great-copy-machine-epidemic-results-are-in/feed/ Illinois Schools Sign Compact to Focus Green Efforts http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/03/17/illinois-schools-sign-compact-to-focus-green-efforts/ http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/03/17/illinois-schools-sign-compact-to-focus-green-efforts/#comments Mon, 17 Mar 2008 23:02:15 +0000 Jason Phillip http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/03/17/illinois-schools-sign-compact-to-focus-green-efforts/ il-school-compact3.jpg A voluntary compact authored by the Illinois Lieutenant Governor’s office has elementary and secondary schools around Chicago putting their environmental priorities down on paper. Students, teachers, and administrators from the first six schools signed the compact at a ceremony hosted by Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn in January.

Modeled after the Illinois Sustainable University Compact, which began in 2006, the new Illinois Sustainable Schools Compact sets out 12 achievable sustainability objectives for elementary and secondary schools. These goals focus on conserving energy, encouraging recycling, and practicing natural landscape techniques (including minimizing the use of chemical fertilizers, following a conservative watering schedule, using rain barrels, and planting drought-resistant native species). For complete list of the goals in the compact, click here (PDF).

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]]> http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/03/17/illinois-schools-sign-compact-to-focus-green-efforts/feed/ Reading, Writing, and Yoga http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/03/17/reading-writing-and-yoga/ http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/03/17/reading-writing-and-yoga/#comments Mon, 17 Mar 2008 20:11:31 +0000 Jennifer Lance http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/03/17/reading-writing-and-yoga/ artchildyoga3cnn.jpgWhen I taught grades K-8 in a one-room schoolhouse, we began each morning with the sun salutation, only I called it the “good morning” stretch in order to not freak out some right wing parents.

We would go to the grassy field, form a circle, and flow through this vinyasa each morning. On rainy days, we modified this practice in the classroom. I’ve recently come across several articles about yoga in the classroom and the benefits to children.

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]]> http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/03/17/reading-writing-and-yoga/feed/ Solar Energy for 85 Rural Schools in Argentina http://ecoworldly.com/2008/03/12/solar-energy-for-85-rural-schools-in-argentina/ http://ecoworldly.com/2008/03/12/solar-energy-for-85-rural-schools-in-argentina/#comments Wed, 12 Mar 2008 14:32:13 +0000 Martín Cagliani http://ecoworldly.com/2008/03/12/solar-energy-for-85-rural-schools-in-argentina/ escuela-691-paraje-mborore.jpgIn Argentina, there are a lot of rural schools without electricity. Now, the provincial minister of education, from Corrientes, has invested 2 million dollars in a program to bring solar power to those schools. This program is part of a national attempt to eradicate the absence of electricity in the remote areas of Argentina.

During the next months, engineers will install the solar cells provided by a Spanish firm in each school. In time, the school’s directors will have to take responsibility for the solar system.

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]]> http://ecoworldly.com/2008/03/12/solar-energy-for-85-rural-schools-in-argentina/feed/ Iraq War Costs $720,000,000 a Day http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/01/25/iraq-war-costs-720000000-a-day/ http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/01/25/iraq-war-costs-720000000-a-day/#comments Sat, 26 Jan 2008 04:57:50 +0000 Jennifer Lance http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/01/25/iraq-war-costs-720000000-a-day/ This story contains additional media. Click here to view the media.

]]> http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/01/25/iraq-war-costs-720000000-a-day/feed/ Green Family Values: What’s Your Child’s School’s Carbon Footprint? http://jenniferlance.greenoptions.com/2007/09/12/green-family-values-whats-your-childs-schools-carbon-footprint/ http://jenniferlance.greenoptions.com/2007/09/12/green-family-values-whats-your-childs-schools-carbon-footprint/#comments Wed, 12 Sep 2007 13:55:54 +0000 Jennifer Lance http://jenniferlance.greenoptions.com/2007/09/12/green-family-values-whats-your-childs-schools-carbon-footprint/ How green is your child’s school? Chances are, if your child attends a public school like my daughter, it is not a very green place, especially if it is an older facility. Kelli has already written about ways to make your individual child a greener student in "Think Green For Back to School" and Chris Baskind offered Green Options readers "Five Ways to Green Your Child’s Classroom." But do you know your child’s school’s carbon footprint? Does the school district’s board of trustees know this information? Do you include your child’s share of the school’s carbon emission when figuring out your family’s impact on climate change?

Recently, I discovered a tool for calculating a school’s carbon footprint that was developed by students at Irvington High School with the help of DriveNeutral. This tool is an Excel worksheet that takes into account many factors, such as the student population and the number of days school is in session. It asks what percentage of the student ride in a car to school, the school’s electricity usage, methane from waste disposal, etc.. The table ends with questions regarding solutions, such as offsetting and recycling.

The questions asked by the SchoolNeutral tool are not easily answered by a parent, child or teacher, but research is required and a manual is available to download. This tool was designed by high schools students for high school students, but it could be modified for usage in earlier grade levels. In addition, it would make a great senior project for a high school student to help an elementary school class figure out their school’s carbon footprint. As World Changing notes, "What makes the SchoolNeutral calculator stand out is that it has been designed to help high school students calculate emissions generated by a large group of people (the first version focuses just on student population) who work together at a large complex (the high school). Most carbon calculators focus on the individual or household carbon footprint, but SchoolNeutral shows how to calculate much larger, collective footprints."

Knowing a school’s carbon footprint may be the first step in promoting change. Faced with such staggering statistics, school boards are more likely to make decisions that will reduce carbon emissions, and children will be motivated to do what they can in their own classrooms. Parents can easily be involved in the process, and fundraisers could be held to purchase offsets. Furthermore, schools can make the necessary changes to lower their own carbon emissions and students can be involved in offsetting carbon emissions on the school campus by planting trees and switching light bulbs, for example. In fact, you may even be able to get a carbon credit company to take on your child’s school on as a project.

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