Baby Steps We’re Taking
 
 
Many thanks to everyone who participated in our Reusable Grocery Bag Sale. Between the eight schools in district 34, we sold over 7000 bags! Each school will be using the money raised to fund their own environmental programs. We do not have plans to sell bags again, but other schools have now taken advantage of this project, to raise both money and awareness. To go to our informational page out the bag sale, please click here. We’d all like to make it Earth Day every day, but our schools went all-out for Earth Week. Some of the great ideas were: a sneaker recycling drive, in conjunction with swancc.org....waste-free lunch week... reusing chug bottles for P.E. games like relays, stacking, and more.... letting students decorate the school with earth-friendly “chalk talk”..... making art out of recycled items.... planting flowers and trees.... stamping the hands of kids who walked/rode bikes/carpooled.... voted on a favorite super hero who could save the planet.... and much more! A great week for everyone, including the Earth!
Reusable Grocery Bag Sale
• Click for tips and other steps
 
On October 3rd 2008, the Take Baby Steps Team was there to cheer on the many students who rode their bikes or walked to school. We’ll do the same this year! Of course, for those who can’t walk or ride bikes, the bus is a great option. The world’s largest carpool!
International Walk To School Day
Another much needed reminder! Thanks to the generosity of a local parent, three of our schools have these signs outside to remind parents not to leave the engine running while waiting more than a minute or two. Remember, we have young lungs at work! (Not to mention the gas you’ll save). Signs were printed at Alpha Sign Co. in Glenview, who also did our initial banners.
Saving Paper In The Schools
One of our team members came up with this reminder, which is mounted prominently over every copier in the school district. Anyone is welcome to use this as a good reminder. Just click to download.
Engines Off, Please
Recycling Plastic At School
Hurray! District 34 is now recycling both paper and plastic in all 8 schools. Thanks everyone for getting involved and making this possible! Now our goal is to REDUCE how much we need to recycle! One of our team members developed an excellent “audit” for every student to take home. These forms helped get families thinking about what it means to be “green,” and what baby steps they can take. To download an editable copy, please click here.
Home Audits
Waste Free Lunches
Where do all those baggies go? Into landfills, of course. This year we gave every child in the district a reusable snack cup to help out at snack time... and many families bought extras! Whenever we bring food to school, we should try to make everything reusable: reusable lunch bags, reusable water bottles, reusable plastic containers for food... it all helps. Some of these containers are an investment, but they pay off in lots of ways! In some of our schools, we have “Waste Free Wednesdays,” while other schools already promote this every month by choosing a “waste free lunch day,” reminding the students, and then rewarding them for following through. One great reward has been an extra recess, or even a “Rock n’ Roll Lunchtime” which the kids loved. Click here for more Waste Free Lunch ideas.http://www.wastefreelunches.org/shapeimage_17_link_0
Reusable Water Bottles
Our disposable water bottle habit has gotten out of control! Especially since most studies show that the tap water around here is about as good as it gets. We are planning a Reusable Water Bottle Sale for Fall ‘09, and hope to break the disposable habit! See our “Water” page for more on the subject.Water%21.htmlshapeimage_19_link_0
School Newsletter Green Tips
For a list of the tips we’ve gathered to insert into monthly newsletters, please click here. E-Mail your thoughts and suggestions here At schools throughout the district, volunteers and teachers have started up environmental clubs for kids. At Pleasant Ridge School, the club is called the Planet Protectors, with over 30 members and two staff facilitators. This group has made PSA commercials about caring for the environment, sent letters to the school board about recycling, made posters to encourage green practices at school, planted trees, sent letters to Congress about reducing pollution, publicized bike safety, made earth-friendly announcements each day of Earth Week, and met with the principal about plans for the future. We hope that soon, all of our schools will have clubs to empower the kids.
Earth Week 2008
Environmental Kids Clubs
We started 2008 by helping the kids at school think of this as "Earth Year!" Ricky Recycle gave a great recycling presentation, and a few days later, "Kermit the Frog" came and handed out tags that allow the kids to write "Gifts to the Earth." These are like little resolutions to help the planet (turning off lights etc). The tags were filled out and colored, and were hung on trees in the front hallways.
2008 was a great year for Walk To School Day. We received a grant (learn more at www.walktoschool.org) and held a bike parade, along with lots of other activities to encourage biking and walking to school Email HERE if you’d like a high-res version of this banner for printing next year, or click above to download the low-res version. mailto:mhershey@mac.com?subject=Downloadingshapeimage_29_link_0
Recycling is good, but Reducing is the real hope for the future!