Schools Going Green

Being environmentally conscious is something that deserves more than simply a day or week in the school year. Neither is it just a lesson, but rather a way of life that needs to be taught to children of future generations, particularly on how they can take care of the environment.

There are numerous strategies that schools going green can adopt.

The average school tosses 38 tons of paper, the equivalent of 644 trees, each year. On the other hand, every ton of paper (or 220,000 sheets) that is recycled saves approximately 17 trees (read other facts on recycling). So what this means is that for schools to go green, they must actively encourage recycling, as well as purchase recycled paper and other eco-friendly products in their daily needs. Imagine the amount of trees that can be saved!

Parents and students often associate the start of a new school year with the purchase of new stuff – new bags, new books, new stationary sets, new uniform, new shoes etc. The average family with school-aged children can spend $594.24 on back-to-school purchases or more! That leaves us with one question – what happens to the old stuff from the year before? Not to mention the amount of disposables that is discarded by schools every year. For example, six billion pens are thrown away in the U.S. every year. Imagine the amount of waste created!

Why not take the new school year to resolve to be greener today, to use less disposables, consumer only when necessary (and not just to have something new) and even pack your own lunch to school using reusable containers. There are so many things we can do at schools!

Read more about what can be done by schools (and even individuals) to go green and fight climate change.

Schools going green have a very important impact on reducing harm to the environment. While the strategies they adopt may be simple ones, but given the scale involved (ie. that of a sizeable community), substantial contributions can be made.

For students who are already adopting green practices at home, the green message at school would serve to reinforce these values and practices.

At the same time, the students and teachers could also help create a ripple effect in the community, through engaging their families, friends and neighbours on environmental consciousness. Students who are introduced to recycling and green living at school can bring their knowledge home to their family.

Share with us ideas on what how else schools can go to play their part and spread the green message.

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