The last few years have seen a major push by companies, federal agencies, and other organizations to adopt greener practices for the sake of the environment — and schools aren't exempt from the trend. Along with their environmental benefits, these practices also often carry cost benefits, which are especially critical when you consider the limited funding available to education.
With around 20% of America's total population currently in the K-12 age range, there's also a great opportunity to not only teach about carbon footprints, but to instill eco-friendly values and conservational habits early on.
K-12 schools were recently reported to be the fastest adopters of solar power in the U.S., but you don't have to take on a solar installation to start transitioning to greener practices. As you'll see below, there are a number of ways, varying in benefits and ease of implementation, that districts are utilizing.
1. Swap out incandescent light bulbs
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, if every home in the United States replaced one incandescent bulb with an Energy Star compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL), the nation would save enough energy to light 3 million homes. Let that sit with you for a moment, and then imagine what a dramatic difference a couple of school districts could make. Not only does the switch use less electricity, but it prevents greenhouse gas emissions, which lead to climate change. It sort of seems like a no-brainer. CFLs use up to 75% less energy and and last up to 10 times longer than incandescent light bulbs, so schools save on two fronts here.
2. Go digital
Where possible, schools should be going digital. Instead of printing out staff or board meeting minutes, have people bring computers or smart phones to the meeting. Is it possible to call or email parents about important happenings? The "friendly reminder" flier wastes tons of paper, and there are far more effective ways now to broadcast information.
3. Use greener products
The EPA actually has an awesome portal that helps districts find "greener products." An array of product categories (appliances, automotive, building products, cleaning products, electronics, food services, etc.) is available for "institutional purchasers," including, for example, eco-friendly odor removal products, hand soaps, graffiti removal agents, and other cleaning products.
4. Turn off electronics that aren't in use
While most teachers make sure the lights are turned off at the end of the day, or when students go to lunch or recess, there are still more ways to save energy. Turning off all the computers in the lab versus letting them just go to sleep, for example, is another easy and efficient way to save energy.
5. Recycle
Planet Green is an organization that actually pays schools to recycle. Sending in 20 or more recycled inkjets, cell phones, or small electronics using their pre-paid shipping label can net an average payment of $40-70. Imagine if each classroom held recycling contests and then used the earned money to buy a treat, supplies, etc. It's a great way to both teach recycling and benefit classrooms.
6. Start a Walking School Bus
While this may be more difficult with charter schools, where the student population comes from all over, it can work really well with traditional public schools. A pretty simple concept, the "walking school bus" sees a group of children walk to school with a few parents. There can either be a few designated "pick up" spots along the walking route, or, if there are a bunch of smaller routes, the adults can go door to door. Not only does this idea help schools conserve energy, but it provides exercise. Want to up the ante? Try a bike train instead!
7. Plant a garden
What's better than serving students wonderful, delicious veggies? Involving them in growing those veggies! Planting a garden can not only aid in science instruction, but it helps students better understand climate, nature, and why being eco-conscious is so important — and fun. Sites like School Garden Wizard are great resources for helping plan and configure the process.
8. Teach students to be eco-friendly
While it's great if a school can eliminate its carbon footprint, perhaps the best way a school can help the environment is by teaching the next generation why it's important to be green and how to do so. The U.S. Department of Education has some wonderful resources for green lesson-planning, as does Scholastic.
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