Sustainable Schools
How to Go Green in the Classroom
April 10, 2024
by Jenny Roe, Director of Education, Imagination Station
April is here, and we just were able to experience an amazing solar eclipse which allowed us to see the wonder of our place in space. Now, another exciting upcoming celebration will soon show us our place in the cosmos once again.
Earth Day, on April 22nd, shows us how we can all strive to keep our neighborhoods and planet healthy for the students that are currently in our classrooms, as well as for the generations that will come after them.
One way we can do this is by promoting and creating sustainable schools. The U.S. Department of Education awards the Green Ribbon Schools designation each year to schools and districts that have “cost-saving, health-promoting, and performance-enhancing sustainability practices” and has created a Framework for a Sustainable School.
That framework includes three pillars for schools to strive to attain: Reduced environmental impacts and costs, improved health and wellness and effective environmental and sustainability education.
While meeting the recommendations set forth in the framework may be difficult for an individual teacher to reach independently—such as retrofitting a building with a more energy-efficient HVAC system—there are a few ideas, programs and activities that you can implement to create a greener classroom for you and your students.
- Fundraise for your school through recycling: The company TerraCycle has several free recycling programs that can be used as school fundraisers—including one for drink pouches!
- Recycle used crayons: The Crayon Initiative takes old crayons and turns them into new crayons before donating them to children in hospitals.
- Create a garden out of old paper: Try this activity from NOAA where you can create recycled paper with seeds inside that you can plant and grow.
Showing your classroom sustainable actions they can implement not only passes inspiration between teachers and their students but researchers found that 79% of educators saw a positive impact on students and their local community when they taught about sustainability.
Imagination Station prides itself on promoting an eco-friendly environment and working to continue expanding our efforts. Whether you or your students come for a field trip, workshop or after-school visit, sustainability is at the heart of each lesson and activity because sustainability is the heart of the science center.