Area Township Environmental AwarenessMeetingOctober 18,2012

Initiatives at our Schools

 Joseph Sears School, Kenilworth Katie Nahrwold

Installed an outdoor classroom -research - fall of 2011

-fundraising - March 2012. -Highcrest in Wilmette shared plants and

students worked together

Environmental Club-America Recycles Day-Outdoor Classroom-mission statement-school website page

Hubbard Woods School Winnetka Liz Kunkle

Composting, No Idling Campaign Party Packs/ Reusable table ware Green Team club  Trex Plastic Bag Challenge

Glencoe SchoolsCatherine Wang – administratorDavid Rongey - West School, Principal

Expanding the gardens Green Flag - pesticide patch Solar panels on the roof Rain garden Green Club composts all organic waste from

school lunches (uses 5 solar cones) Incorporated a unit on water quality

brings 3rd and 4th grade students to Skokie Lagoons for water sampling and ecosystem studies

Glencoe  SchoolsLaurie Morse

Glencoe South and Central Schools organic gardens

District 35 school board is considering installing geothermal heating under the ball field at Central School -- still studying the issue.

Wilmette Jr. HighDarik Williams, 7th Grade Administrator

 All-school reusable/washable plastic cup system in the cafeteria.

Active lunchtime outdoor garden program 

School-wide email reports of grades and other communication to parents to reduce waste. 

Harper, Wilmette Diane Schaffner

Recycling and no plastic water bottles in the cafeteria.

Encouraging Waste-free lunches

Central, WilmettePeggy Salamon & Elaine Kiner

Introduced party packs to all classroom parties 2011

Outdoor classroom/garden – has been integrated into the curriculum for 5+ of years

Paper tiger Composted daily during EA week – with

Collective Resource. Encourage waste free lunches

Green team is in place Nike shoe recycling program

Romona, Wilmette Susan Pekar and Jodi Ryan

Waste-Free Wednesday lunch raffle, Fundraising effort with Mighty Nest, Red Dot program to eliminate duplicate

mailings. 

Greeley School, WinnetkaMichelle Astolfi

Dream Green project – outdoor classroom/garden

-working with Architects -transform our play space/yard

-growing area native plants, flowers, herbs

-not yet at installation stage.

SPC, Park Ridge Amy Bartucci and Jamie Hasemeir

New bulletin board. Our club will help drive the news and facts  

Re-useable pendants made out of old clothing showcase the board

Blog for students to communicate about club events Community paper drive - Illinois Green Schools day of

service Big plan this year: No idling initiative

-measure and collect data on idling cars at pickup- 3 unannounced weeks of school-report & learn about the numbers-sell no-idling magnets

Bessie Rhodes Magnet, SkokieKim Disbrow Green Apple Day of Service

-made signs about energy conservation and recycling

after school event – well attended -will place signs around the school -Pioneer Press coverage

Compost in the lunchroom Plans to compost in the teachers lounge Zero waste picnics

Lyon/Pleasant Ridge,Glenview Marg Plante, Melissa Brady

Earth Week activities (Outside activities, waste free lunch education, recycling)

Bike/walk/bus to school 2x per year Planet Protectors club at Pleasant Ridge Organic garden at Pleasant Ridge Classroom education

McKenzie, WilmetteEA week Events:

Halloween Costume “fREECYCLE”

See Disney’s Bill Nye the Science Guy – Garbage video about our impact on the environment. Viewed as part of the science program during Environmental Awareness

Fact Time - All week Dr. Welter will present a series of facts about our environment.

International Walk to School Day

Friday: Waste-Free Lunch  and Recycle collection

New Trier High School #1Club Sponsor - Raquelle Brennan,

Club sponsor said:

Andrew Katcha has initiated and started composting atThe unfortunate piece is that students either do not eat fruits/veggies for lunch, do not eat items in the student cafeteria, or finish what they have to eat. 

Visibility and educating the student body has been difficult/limited to one lunch period.

Few members of the Environmental club are will to help support the initiative besides making posters

New Trier High School #2Club student, Andrew Katcha,

Club Student said:

Composting at New Trier has been very successful!  

With the help custodians, environmental club and others, the program is off to a good start. 

This initiative has interested many new members to join club.  I think we hit a record of 15 on Monday!

Reusing material to create posters/signs

Cleaning waste from bike trail.

What Schools Want to Know

-importance of student leadership -proper recycling-composting -problems with outside vendors

lots of waste through packaging and portion sizes. 

How to make the Lunchrooms more Green? (many schools have questions in this area)

What are other School’s doing with their Gardens?

Glencoe, Greely & Ramona-interested in what others are doing with

gardens and outdoor classrooms

Ramona notes: District 39 will not let us serve the fresh vegetables to the children

Glencoe replied:

-students sample the veggies only-Main bulk of the harvest to Glencoe Family

Services for families in need in the township

How to involve the kids (and not just the parents )?

Wilmette Jr. High: Information on starting and sustaining a "green" team

Glenview : environmental themed assemblies to tap into for the schools

Harper School : How other schools are involving kids in the green effort ?

Skokie : encourage the Scouts or 8th graders to start a Terra-cycling program to raise funds for their events.

Park Ridge, Starting a Book club ?list of recommended reading for kids

How to engage the Administration in more Green efforts?

New Trier:  Working with administration on environmentally-friendly behavior - lights, computers, minimizing paper waste

Sears: How to get staff and administration on board with changes in the lunchroom?

Central School: how to integrate green efforts into the curriculum, need staff to endorse the programs

Prospect High School, Mt Prospect

Information on starting up a green program at the high school level

How to make changes in our towns and cities?

Glencoe’s Village board (like Wilmette)did not elect a contract for 100% renewable power during the electricity aggregation negotiations last spring. How do we get people to adopt renewables?  

How to make changes in our towns and cities? (2)

  Glenview: would it be viable to organize a

township recycling drive to honor America Recycles day next month?

Park Ridge: How to get our city to think more about sustainability?

need topic brought to the families and students from sources outside of the school

 

ENVIRONMENTAL EVENTS OUTSIDE OF THE SCHOOLS

Beth Drucker – Go Green Wilmette

Pledge Tree

DO THE MATH: CHICAGO

 

Bill McKibben and 350.org are going on tour across America to build the movement we need to face the crisis of climate change.

On Nov. 28th, Bill will be in Chicago to lay out the terrifying new math of climate change, explaining the incredible odds we face, and the difficult path we must walk in the coming years to create a livable future for our planet.

Where: Athenaeum Theater, 2936 N. Southport Ave, Chicago, ILWhen: Nov. 28th, Doors at 6 PM

Bill will be joined by friends from across the climate movement and beyond to explain how together we can confront the fossil fuel industry, using lessons from the most successful movements of the past century and the past year of dramatic new actions against the industry across the country.

In association with Chicago Area Peace Action Web site is http://math.350.org/

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