THE EVERYTHING GREEN CLASSROOM BOOK

THE EVERYTHING

GREEN CLASSROOM BOOK

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

From recycling to conservation, all you need to create an eco-friendly learning environment.

Tessa Hill, president of Kids for Saving Earth

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1 Page.

THE

EVERYTHING

THE EVERYTHING

GREEN CLASSROOM BOOK

Dear Reader,

I wrote this book becouse I'm counting on you to help children become good stewards of the Earth, now and for all their lives. I know it is a heavy load to bear, but the Earth needs so much help and, as always, you educators are on the front line teaching and leading by example.

My son, Clinton Hill, knew kids could lead the way to protect the Earth. He started a club called Kids for Saving Earth (KSE) shortly before he died at age eleven from a brain tumor. He understood that education kids help them become Earth-savers, but they also become leaders influencing the "big" people of the world. He was right. His organisation has inspired millions of kids and adults with the Earth-saving messge since 1989.

Skim trough the book and find topics that interest you the most. Your interest and enthusiasm will spill over your students. The book has been written in a stile that will make it easy for you to understand and translate the information. As you read through the book, you will find the action component of enviromentalism helps children retain information and makes it all fun.

Tessa Hill.

Page 2.

Welcome to theEVERYTHING series!

These handy, accessible books give you all you need to tackle a difficult project, gain a new hobby, comprehend a fascinating topic, prepare for an exam, or even brush up on something you learned back in school but have since forgotten.

You can choose to read an Everything book from cover to cover or just pick out the information you wantfrom our four useful boxes: e-sources, e-facts, e-alerts and e-essentials. We give youeverithing you need to know on the subject, but throw in a lot of fun stuff along the way, too.

We now have more than 400 Everything books in print, spanning such such wide-ranging categories as weddings, pregnancy, cooking, music instruction, foreing language, crafts, pets, New Age, and so much more. When you're done reading them all, you can finnaly say you know Everythinhg!

Page 3.

THE EVERYTHING

GREEN CLASSROOM BOOK

From recycling to conservation, all you need to create an eco-friendly learning environment.

Tessa Hill, president of Kids for Saving Earth

admsmedia

Avon, Massachusetts

Page 4.

To my son Clinton Hill,

Defender of the Planet, whose spirit lives on in the actions of over a million children and teachers woprking to protect our beautifull Earth.

______________________________________________________________________________

Copyright 2009 by F+W Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

This book, or parts thereof, may not reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher; exeptions are made for brief exerpts used in published reviews.

An Everything Series Book

An Everything and everithing.com are registred trade marks of F+W Media, Inc.

57 Littlefield Street, Avon, MA 02322 U.S.A.

www.adamsmedia.com

ISBN 10: 1-60550-351-7

ISBN 13: 978-1-60550-351-6

Printed in the Unated States of America.

J I H G F E D C B A

Library of Congress Cataloging-In-Publication Data

is available from the publisher.

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information with regards to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional advice. If legal advice or other expert assistance is requred, the services of competent professional person should be sought.

-From a Declaration of Principles jointly adopted by a Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations

Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademark. Where those designations appear in this book and AdamsMedia was aware of trademark claim, the designations have been printed with initial capital letters.

The pages of this book are printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper.

Ths book ia available at quatity discounts for bulk burchases.

For information, please call 1-800-289-0963

Page 5.

CONTENTS

Top Ten Ways to Create a Green Classroom x

Introduction xi

Green Schools 101

 

CHAPTER 1

Green, sustainable, environmental, eco-friendly, Earth-friendly. What does it all mean? However you say it, it means you are taking action to protect the planet and all of its inhabitants, including people. It sounds like a big job – and it is – but if everyone works together, it’ll be a job well done. At a green school, everyone plays a part in protecting the planet. From the youngest student all the way up to the principal and the superintendent, everyone can do something.

Making a Difference.

This is a pivotal time in human history. People have pushed the planet to its brink and it’s time to change old habits in order to create a brighter, healthier future. To make these important changes, people need to understand what’s going on and how their actions impact the planet.

What the Word Needs Now

It’s a pretty dire picture when you examine it all at once, but if you look at it piece by piece you can quickly see how opportunities there are for… ESSENTIAL Many people all over the world have already begun making the changes necessary to protect the planet, but there is…

Children Are the Future

Teachers are some of the most influential people in society. You hold the power to transform young minds. You lay the foundations for tomorrow’s… Luckily, a green education can be woven into the general lessons of reading,…

E-FACT

Going green from the get-go saves a school a lot of green. According to a report for the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, the cost of building a green school can be 1.5 percent to 2.5 percent more expencive than a conventional building, but the financial savings after twenty years are about $70 per square foot. That’s more than ten times the initial cost.

Walk the Talk

Making a Green Classroom

Your classroom should reflect the concepts of green living and planetary protection that you intend to teach. It’s nearly impossible to transition to a totally sustainable building in the blink of an eye, but there are many small ways can make classroom embody what you teach.

Sustainable School Supplies

Green office and school supplies are becoming increasingly available through major retailers, but you may still run into difficulty depending on…

ESSENTIAL

Use your green classroom not only as a model for your students, but also as a model for the rest of the school, the parents, and the community. Take aver opportunity possible to have people tour room to look at what you have and do. Invite a local newspaper ot television station to do a story on it. Spread the word!

Keeping It Clean Green

Many conventional cleaning products have ingredients in them that pollute the air inside your classroom. They can also cause headaches, asthma, and allergy attacks, and other health problems. Keep your classroom clean by using products that don’t hurt the Earth or human health. You can find safer products at www.healthyschoolscampaign.org in its Green Clean Schools resources. Green Seal www.greenseal.org is another national nonprofit that certifies products for offices and institutions.

E-ALERT!

Beware of that the Center for Ecoliteracy calls “hidden curricula” in school. These subliminal messages can undermine the good lessons you teach in your classroom. For instance, if your cafeteria uses Styrofoam plates and cups, this contradicts what you say about the harm they do to the environment. What are the hidden curricula at your school?

Taking It Outdoors

Another way to get a quick glimpse of natural world is to take an outdoor route when you’re going from one area of the school to another. It might…

Making It Work

You might be thinking, “Sure this all sounds in theory, but how will it work in reality?” Just because something sounds good or seems like the right thing to do doesn’t necessarily mean it can be done. The golden rule for the green school: Don’t dwell on what you can’t do; focus on what you can do.

E-FACT

The average person can recognize more than 1,000 corporate logos, but fewer than ten native plants. It is more important than ever to take every opportunity possible to teach kids the basics of nature and the language that goes with it.

Curriculum Connections

Events to Inspire

Prompting Parents

Keeping It Real

E-SOURCE

Check out Edutopia’s Go Green Database, which includes links to imaginative classroom project, green curricula, lesson plans, service-learning opportunities, and online tools. You also can contribute your favorite environmental education resources, as well as rate, browse, and discuss the resources in this growing green directory. Visit www.edutopia.org/go-green .

 

Making It Meaningful

Melting polar ice caps are easily forgotten when your students are bombarded with advertisements for the latest video games, movies, and junk food the instant they leave school. Buying new toys and watching television is so much more fun worrying about pollution. It takes a certain finesse to make it meaningful without sending the child home frightened. Here are some basic tips.

Find the Personal Connections

Storytelling

E-FACT

Every year since 1971, ten students or student groups from across the country are recognized with a President’s Environmental Youth Award. That’s more than 300 examples of exceptional efforts to protect the environment, and all of them were imagined, developed, and implemented by kids!

Accentuate the Positive

Earning Money

Schools are used to fundraising. They are many ways to make some green while being green.

Eco-Friendly Fundraising

With a growing awareness of environmental issues, new green fundraising programs are sprouting up regularly.

Economical Education

Making This Book Work for You

Now you know the nuts and bolts of creating the environment to nurture a green classroom. Here are the final tips for using this book and making your journey successful.

Meet Your Major Headings

· “What It’s All About” describes the basics of each issue. · “Global Picture” attempts to address hoe the use impacts other regions of… · “For the Classroom” brings the issue into the physical classroom space.

It’s about Learning and Loving, Not Guilt and Grudge.

Whatever you do, keep it easy and fun because if something is not fairly easy and fun, it won’t get done. You have a limited amount of time with each child and you want your lesson to last a lifetime, so tackle little pieces every day until it becomes a habit for everyone. Laugh a lot. Smile a lot. You’re making the world a better place.

CHAPTER 2

Earth-Friendly Farming

What It’s All About

Who needs farms when there are grocery stores? The personal disconnect from farming and food has probably never been greater. School curriculum emphasizes the importance of a nutritious diet, but it is also important to understand the bigger story of food.

Big, Big, Big Farms

Since most people don’t grow or raise their own food, farmers have to use more space to grow enough to feed not only themselves but many other… These big farms, known as industrial farms, are useful because fewer people… Think of your garden, and picture going out and picking the weeds that pop up in between the plants. It’s important to…

The Natural Recipe for Farming

One specific part of the Earth sustainable farmers try hard to protect is the soil. Without healthy soil, they can’t grow food. There are a lot of… A second part of this project is to buy two identical plants. Scoop out the…

Earthworm Survey

Global Picture

The foods we eat come from all over world. Things like bananas, chocolate, and coffee are common in every American household, but they have to travel thousands of miles to get to the local grocery store. The farther the food has to travel, the more fuel it takes to get it there. The more fuel it takes to get it there, the more pollution and global warming it creates.

Big Planet, Little Land

This visual example usually sparks some lively class discussion. Did you have any idea that people had such little space for farming? How can people…

E-FACT

The average fruit or vegetable has to travel 1,650 miles from the farm to your table. It’s a long journey and causes a lot of pollution. Map it for the class and calculate how many gallons of gas it would take if you took the same road trip.

Play with Your Food

Once the students have learned all about their food, they should write a script as though their food is talking and introducing itself to an…

For the Classroom

What’s the difference between a teacher and farmer? One grows bright thinkers and the other grows food. Make your crop of thinkers farm-friendly by engaging them in their own miniature farm.

E – SOURCE

For a wide range of activities and resources for level K-12, visit the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom website (www.cfaitc.org). It has lesson plans, a teacher’s resource guide, a kid’s corner with games and coloring pages, and lots more.

Flat Farmers

For the second part of the activity, lay out large pieces of paper on the floor and trace an outline of each child. Have them draw in the details of…

Petite Patch

School Projects

Getting your whole school engaged in understanding where food comes from and how food grows can be really exciting and surprisingly rewarding. Establishing an intimate connection between you and your food lays the foundation for healthier eating and a healthier life. By understanding exactly how your food gets to you, you understand better how your food choices affect your health, the environment, and the community.

Farm-to-School

School Gardens

Once again, all you need to do is hop online and visit www.schoolgardenwizard.org . This site has everything from how to make the case to your…

ESSENTIAL

It is very common for school food service managers to initially assume farm-to-school programs are too difficult or too expensive. Don’t take no for answer! For your best chances of success, find the nearest school that has a program in place and have their staff contact your school to explain how it works for them.

Visit a Local Farm

Have the class brainstorm questions to ask prior to your visit. Even if it’s not an organic farm, you can staff if they consider the environment or…

SOURCE

The Center for Ecoliteracy published a comprehensive guide for schools called the “Rethinking School Lunch Guide”. It contains all the tools and creative solutions for improving school lunches, academic success, environmental awareness, and the well-being of children. Download it at www.ecolitaracy.org/programs/rsl-guide.html .

Grocery Store Scavenger Hunt

ALERT!

If you are planning a visit to a farm with animals, make sure you aware of any animal allergies your students may have. Also, be sure to have students wash their hands well after touching any animals at the farm.

Human Health

How many times have you heard “you are what you eat”? What do you think it means? It means that your health depends on how healthfully you eat. More and more, we’re finding that the foods that are healthiest for us are also the foods that protect the health of the planet.

Food Label Forensics

In the end, you’ll likely have a very long list and you’ll see by the tallies which ingredients are most common. Do you know what these ingredients…

Invisible Invaders

E – FACT

Grade schools in Olympia, Washington, went completely organic and still managed to cut lunch costs by two cents per meal. Their program includes working directly with local organic farms, and they cut out deserts, opting instead to offer fruits to satisfy student’s sweet cravings.

Take It Home

Most parents know a healthy diet is important for their child’s development. What many don’t know is that the healthiest diet is also the one that’s best for the planet. Help your students’ parents get in the know by giving them easy tips for making changes in their diet.

The Dirty Dozen

Twelve Most Contaminated

• Apples
• Bell peppers
• Celery
• Cherries
• Imported grapes
• Nectarines
• Peaches
• Pears
• Potatoes
• Red raspberry
• Spinach
• Strawberries

Twelve Least Contaminated

• Asparagus
• Avocadus
• Bananas
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Corn (sweet)
• Kiwi
• Mangoes
• Onions
• Papaya
• Peas (sweet)
• Pineapples

This list is form a study conducted by the Environmental Working Group based on U.S. government data. Learn more at www.beyondpesticides.org

Organic Gardening at Home

Go to www.organicgardening.com for more information and advice on how to incorporate Earth-friendly practices into your life and your students’ home…

CHAPTER 3

Radical Reductions

What It’s All About

Have you ever heard someone say “waste not, want not”? What does it mean? It means that if you don’t waste something now, you’ll still have it in the future. It’s an idea that’s especially important to keep in mind if you want to be a good steward of the Earth. Take care of the Earth and it will take care of you.

What a Waste

There is only one planet Earth. It has a limited amount of resources and a limited amount of space for garbage. People can’t continue to live this…

Trash Examination

If you’d like to make is more visual, use your classroom bulletin board to illustrate the experience. Create a picture of trash dumpster to put on…

E-SOURCE

The Story of Stuff with Annie Leonard is a twenty-minute fact-filled journey into the hidden life of products. From how products are made to how they are disposed of, the video is essential for understanding the social and environmental impacts of shopping. It is meant for adults, but it can be broken down into sections and taught to students. You can watch it for free online or order a DVD at www.storyofstuff.com

Global Picture

Garbage is a growing issue everywhere. Some countries are solving their garbage problems by shipping it to other places. Other countries are coming up with inventive ways to reduce how much they are creating.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind?

Around the world, people use about a million plastic bags every single minute. Hundreds of thousands of whales and sea turtles and other sea animals… What happens to the billions of bags that are still being used every year?… What can you do? Ban the bag! Make your own reusable bags in class. Work with local grocery stores to provide reusable…

Fun with Furoshiki

Each children needs a large bandana or scarf (thrift stores and Grandma’s closet are great place to look). You can have them make a craft that they…

E – ALERT!

Almost everyone is familiar with the mantra “reduce, reuse, recycle,” but unfortunately, most people really focus on recycling. Reducing is the most important thing to do, reusing is second best, and recycling is better that throwing something away. It is imperative to refocus attention on reduction. Embed this concept is as many class activities as possible.

For the Classroom

The typical school classroom has little waste outside of paper, but holy smokes a lot of paper gets thrown away! Let’s hope your classroom recycles, but even recycling takes energy and resources. The best opinion for the planet is to reduce, reduce, and reduce.

Paper Purge

Take a Load Off at Lunch

Take it to the next level and have your students organize a waste-free lunch day at your school. They can educate other students and staff about why…

School Projects

An entire school’s garbage adds up fast, but usually it’s only the custodial staff that sees it. Getting everyone thinking about reductions will lighten the load for both the school budget and waste haulers, which will also use less gas.

Paperless Office

E – FACT

Make a “Paper Police” badge and regularly send students to the office to act as “paper police”. If they see that someone has forgotten one of the…

Dumpster Diving

What else can your students come up with after looking at the waste?

Field Trips

There’s no better way to get the big picture of how much waste people make than by seeing where it all ends up. Garbage doesn’t just disappear. Where does it go in your community?

Unlovely Landfill

Government Garbage Control

Human Health

It wouldn’t be healthy to live in a garbage can, but people are treating the Earth like a big waste container. The more waste people create, the more it ends up polluting in the air and water. When you breathe and drink polluted air and water, you can become polluted, too.

Wastewater

When the landfill is full, put a few drops of a dark-colored dye. This represents toxic substances such as paint and old oil that end up in the…

Don’t Make It, Don’t Breathe It

You and your students can reduce pollution by reducing your use of disposable items. Have each student create a reduce-use box by decorating a small… Have them bring their boxes home to their parents to keep in their car. They…

Take at Home

Where there are people, there is almost always garbage. Keeping our planet from becoming one huge landfill means starting to reduce waste every day, everywhere. The lessons your students have learned at school will transfer home with easy, but here are a couple of additional ideas to really get the reduction ball rolling.

Shop-until-You-Drop-Waste

One of the most important steps you can take to reduce waste is to bring reusable shopping bags when you go to the store. You can use cloth bags you…

Junk Mail Madness

Write the Direct Marketing Association and register with their Mail Preference Service, which puts you on a list to not be contacted by solicitors.…

CHAPTER 4

Choose to Reuse

Just because you’re done using something doesn’t mean it’s garbage. Just like the old saying says, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure”. In the case of reusing, sometimes your own creativity can turn your trash into a new treasure – for you!

What It’s About

If you can’t reduce or avoid your use of something, try to think of ways to reuse it. It’s the next best option before recycling because it doesn’t require the resources needed to recycle something. The old-fashioned habit of sharing isn’t in vogue anymore. But just think if it became a badge of honor to share items like crayons, clothes, and toys. We would save money, energy, and landfill space.

In the Beginning, Think of the End

E – FACT

According to studies done in California and Massachusetts, about 2 to 5 percent of the waste stream is reusable materials. Organizations like Terracycle would put that number much higher; they continuously find second lives for discarded materials like plastic bags, plastic bottles, juice pouches, wrappers, and more. Reuse is limited only by imagination.

Re-imagine, Reinvent, Rediscover

Divide the students into several groups and give them each a pile of random junk to work with. What can they make? All of the items can be used to… If your school has a display case, ask if your class can exhibit its projects…

Essential

Reusing means give a second life to the products you’ve purchased new, but it also means buying things used. Are there items that your classroom or school purchases that you could buy used? How about chairs and tables or shelves and organization systems? Look into buying used items by doing a little research online a sites like eBay and Cragslist.

Second Homes for Second Stuff

There also organizations that accept donations of used items for people in need. For example, homeless shelters are often looking for people to…

Global Picture

Around the world, people reuse things in interesting ways. With the widespread use of the Internet, people can easily share all of their great ideas for reusing materials and giving them a new life.

Toys from Trash

E – ALERT!

Reusing takes time and patience. You need to make sure that items are clean and safe. You need to put aside your “garbage goggles”. It is a long-term commitment, and you should prepare yourself for the little messes that come along with it. It may seem difficult to wash out the lam container and reuse it for leftover soup, but in the end it will save you money and help the planet.

Idea Sharing

You can start your own idea-sharing effort either in your classroom or on a hallway bulletin board. Students (and staff) can share pictures and…

For the Classroom

By now, you are probably starting to understand that reusing is all about creativity. The ability to reuse something is only limited by the imagination. The more reuse projects you promote with your students, the more they’ll begin identifying ways to reuse outside of the classroom. They’ll begin seeing the second life in everything.

Create-a-Card

Another good reuse project for older kids who can handle scissors and an iron safety is creating a reusable fabric gift bag. Ask parents for scrap…

E – SOURCE

The School and Community Reuse Action Project (www.scrapaction.ord) collect reusable materials from business and distributes them to local school. It projects the environment, provides valuable resources to schools, and inspires creative reuse of a wide variety of materials. While it is only a local organization, its website is sure to motivate you to find new opportunities for reuse.

Notebooks out of Cereal Boxes

If you have magazines that need organizing in the classroom library, simply cut off the top of the cereal box with an angle down the side (a la the…

Swap It

When students do well on tests and homework assignments, reward them by allowing them to select something from the swap box. Remind parents…

E – ALERT!

You may want to make your swap box donations anonymous or trade with another classroom. You don’t want children feeling bad if they have nothing to offer. Likewise, you don’t want children to feel awkward for wanting a classmate’s old toy. You never know how kids will respond, so make sure it’s a respectful process.

School Projects

Get your whole school on a reusing kick by sparking everyone’s imagination with a few simple ideas. With everyone working together, you can keep mounds of materials out of the landfill.

Reclamation Station

One Person’s Junk Is Another Person’s Treasure

Prepare for the sale by promoting it widely in school announcements and community newsletters or bulletin boards. Don’t have it on a holiday…

E - SOURCE

Choose to reuse: An Encyclopedia of Services, Business, Tools, and Charitable Programs That Foster Reuse by Nikky and David Goldbeck has tons of creative tips and tricks for breathing new life into old items. The book is printed on recycled paper with an environmentally friendly printing process.

Field Trips

Learning about reuse in the community may take some research. In larger urban areas, there may be local artists that reuse items or even larger entrepreneurs who reclaim materials and then sell them (this is especially common with building materials). Wherever you are, the following options should fit the bill.

Behind the Secondhand Scenes

For older students, you can add to the experience by visiting a regular department store first. Write down the prices of some common items you’ll…

ESSENTIAL

Whatever you are doing and wherever you go, talk about where things come from and where they go. Embed in your students a habit of thinking of the big picture of stuff by repeating it as much as possible. This goes for activities that involve reducing, reusing, and recycling.

School Scrap Sculptures

At the junkyard, have students pick out some random pieces for making a sculpture for the schoolyard. You can ask for monetary donations from…

E – ALERT

When dealing with any reusable materials – especially metal scraps – be particularly aware of sharp edges. You may want to have your students include a pair of work gloves in their school supplies. Between working with reusable materials and getting dirty with gardening and the other activities in this book, it’ll be an investment in safety.

Take a Look at Better Books

One of the best reuse businesses in the world is a library. Make a list of questions about reusing books. Where do the books come from? How many times does one book get used? How do you repair worn books? What happens to the books after they are too worn for the library? Take a walk to your school or community library and ask to visit with the librarian. Go through your list of questions.

Human Health

Reusing materials is good for the planet, saves money, and protects human health. All these fantastic benefits in one fell swoop, but where’s the connection? Step back to look at the big picture and you’ll see how it helps.

Reusing Reduces Pollution

Don’t Abuse Reuse

There are literally tons of old tires waiting to be reused, and they have found new lives as ground covering around playgrounds and crumb infill for…

Take It Home

Let’s hope your students have experienced so many moments of reuse at school that taking it home is a no-brainer. If you need a little help to inspire your students’ families, try these two ideas to get things started.

ESSENTIAL

There are currently more than 80,000 chemicals registered for use in everyday products, but less than 10 percent have been adequately tested for potential health impacts on children. It’s better to be safe than sorry, so if a product contains ingredients that you are unsure of, avoid it.

Reuse Challenge

Use reusable bags for shopping. They can be cloth, paper, or plastic as long as they are reused. Cut up old, unusable clothing for rags and use them in place of paper towels.