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Using 12 Steps to Sustainability in your Keep Connecticut Cool Projects
New for the 2009-2010 Keep Connecticut Cool year, teams will be asked to incorporate 12 Steps to a Sustainable School in their projects (a complete lesson using the 12 Steps can be found on the http://www.ctenergyeducation.com/ site.
Teams for 2010 are asked to make their schools and communities more sustainable and to choose several of the areas in the 12 Steps to Sustainabiltiy to work on projects. Winning teams will be judged on the comprehensiveness of their projects (how well they incorporated some of those 12 Steps) as well as teamwork and collaboration. Collaboration means the team should be talking with the people who are in charge of or influence the areas they are doing projects in.
For example at team doing a community garden project could focus on several of the 12 Steps: Teaching: Holding workshops for community members on how to grow your own sustainable, organic, low impact garden Solid Waste Reduction: Learning how to compost cafeteria waste and building compost bins for the garden (and it there other waste that can be reduced?) Hazardous Materials: Learning about organic insect management and researching what chemicals are used at the school (can substitutes be made for harmful materials?) Food and Food Service: Growing foods that can be used at the school or in the community, and researching where cafeteria choices come from and if local farms are being supported. (local foods support local businesses, and use less carbon for transportation, and may be healthier!) The Collaboration on these areas would suggest that some of the following people might be invited to talk with the team and work with them on different aspects of their project: School Administration,
Parks and Rec staff or Conservation Committee members,
Solid Waste –facilities, purchasing department, etc,
Food services staff,
local food bank, farmers market/local growers,
Agricultural Extension Center, etc.
This is just one example of a project. If you sit with your students to talk, find out their interests, and what they see as challenges in their school, they will find the projects that work best with their team! Remember that “mentors” are guides and should let the students on the team do the leading.
Some ideas of how to expand on the 12 Steps, from Keep Connecticut Cool mentors and team members:
Teaching - Talking to teachers about having an AP Environmental Science course - Encouraging teachers to use recycled paper and double sided printing when giving handouts in the classroom - Going on sustainable tours to LEED certified buildings to help other students see sustainability in action - Encouraging teachers to use teaching materials from CTEnergyEducation.com to meet state standards whilst also helping students to learn about energy and sustainability Purchasing and Administration - Recycling bins to put throughout the school buildings - Composting bins for use in dining halls - Encourage purchasing of recycled materials such as paper, pencils etc. - When purchasing school transportation using energy efficient vehicles such as hybrid cars, reward people who have these vehicles by using ‘special parking' closer to the school front doors - Encouraging teachers and administration to have an ACE presentation at your school
Waste Reduction - Encouraging reuse of paper for scrap paper - Speaking to food services about portion sizes of food and implementing a ‘take what you eat, eat what you take' responsibility for students. - Think about using Single Stream recycling – that is one place for all recycling that will later be separated by a machine - Talk to custodians and Janitor about removal of recycling, consider companies like ‘Willi-waste' that will collect recycling from buildings - Encouraging changes in behavior to more sustainable practices through recycling contests and competitions
Energy Conservation - Using only energy saving light bulbs - Making such classrooms are equipped with motion sensors - Encouraging teachers to turn off computers when they are not in use - Performing school energy audits to ensure that school classrooms and buildings are using energy efficiently, for example not every teacher should have a refrigerator in their classroom!
Energy Purchasing - Encouraging school administration to look into purchasing alternative energy resources from their energy bills - Encouraging schools to purchase Renewable Energy Credits (REC's) - Purchasing low flow water fittings for faucets, possibilities for waterless urinals and dual flush toilets
Water and Waste Management - Recapturing rain water to use to water plants etc. - Ensuring that recycling bins are used efficiently and are noticeable, for example using large signs and bright colors - Educating people to understand the importance of recycling Hazardous Waste Management - Talking to custodians and janitors about the cleaning products they use and encouraging non toxic alternatives - In classes with laboratories talk to teachers and administration about purchasing non toxic chemicals and using less chemicals, also ensuring that chemicals are disposed of correctly. Ask teachers about Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards for correct disposal of hazardous materials. Transportation - Purchasing energy efficient vehicles - Carpooling - Bicycle riding clubs - Walking to school clubs, make them more fun by having themed walks, music
Food and Food Services - Composting possibilities, using different containers to separate foods, encouraging students to see the importance of separating food that can be used for composting. Having composting competitions for tables/grade levels who compost most efficiently. - Using school lunch trays that are sustainable such as sugar cane alternatives, or washable re-useable trays, non-polystyrene, talk to administration about saving money by purchasing re-useable trays and their durability, can expect them to be around for 5 years plus compared to just throwing other trays away - Using the community as a resource, find out how they recycle and which companies might be willing to provide free materials Landscaping - Using gardens and courtyard areas as outdoor classrooms, collecting rainwater, using compost to fertilize soil, recapturing rain water to water plants around school - Planting native species as they are easier to maintain - Reducing lawn spaces by letting natural walkways occur and letting native species grow - Having wildflower garden patches that are low maintenance and can be investigated through biology classes etc.
New Construction - Get involved with the process of new construction, ask about LEED building standards, utilizing natural light - Planning and Design - Brainstorm, come up with ideas, know who to talk to, prepare questions, thinking of meetings with school personnel as an interview so that you can think of questions/criticisms they might have before speaking to them - Make sure your school is efficient as possible through using energy audits before making expensive additions such as solar power etc. |
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