For Parents & Teachers

“Zero waste in K-12 schools.” So boasts the claims on the website www.kidsrecycle.org

This site provides links to numerous “web-accessible information resources” to help teachers, students, and parents create an eco-friendly environment in their own classrooms and schools.

There are downloadable manuals and instructions, as well as case studies, explaining all in reducing and re-using at school. Topics include Waste Reduction, Recycling, Composting, Prevent Pollution, and Green Schools. Kid links and activities are also provided to make sure the students take an active part in greening-up their school.

On the Fun Stuff for Students page of the St. Louis based recycling website, there are activities, games, and information for students. Holiday Waste-Wise tips suggest having students save bows and wrappings, giving gift certificates rather than soon-discarded items, and making gifts from recycled materials.

In the Games and Activities section, an online quiz tests students’ knowledge of what a product is made of. Do you know whether soap, ping pong balls, and garden hoses are made from petroleum products, forest products, or a combination? Other interactive games can be played at this site.
Resourceful Schools http://www.resourcefulschools.org/index.html

Right now is a good time to start learning how to make your part of the world greener. A green school will help create students who have the knowledge and determination to create an even greener tomorrow.

Further Reading:

Blueprint for a Green School (Scholastic Leadership Policy Research) by Jayni Chase and Thomas E. Lovejoy

Great green schools: from The Green Guide: select schools get top grades for excellent, earth-friendly designs that place a premium on indoor air quality, ... and low runoff. : An article from: Mothering by P.W. McRandle

A Guide to Green School Success: A Maryland Initiative by Leslie Bridgett