Earth tips to make your school community greener.
Start an Environmental club in the school or your classroom. The focus of the club is to educate fellow classmates and school personnel about our impact on the earth.
After the school community can work as a team to find solutions to one or several problems. The program can begin anytime of the year and highlight the success or the start of the program on Earth Day (April 22).
Each morning the announcements are to tell the students about the day and to welcome them to school. Use this time to educate students on a daily or weekly time about the earth. The announcement does not have to be first thing in the morning, it can be at a predetermined time. It can be done before lunch to encourage students to properly dispose of their waste.
Earth Day Ideas
Did you know...
Special Observances
Extinctions and Endangered Species
Earth Tips
Jokes and Riddles
Weather Patterns
Ocean Issues
Earth Issues
Global and Local Environmental Issues
Solutions to Environmental Issues
Contests (Robert Bateman or Terracycle Bottle Cap)
Going Green: Tips on how to be kinder to the land.
Going Blue: Tips on how to kinder to the water.
Cool Websites
Petitions to sign
Fundraising Events
There are thousands of environmental issues and each has merits. Do not overwhelm the teachers and students. Pick a few environmental issues and focus on them for the month or year.
Earth Day Activities
Saving Endangered Species
Choose an animal that is on the endangered species list and educate the school on the animal. Have students create posters and fact sheets about the animal. After students have a little knowledge about the animal, begin to collect money to help save the endangered animal. This is a great activity for the junior grades that are learning about habitats and/or the environmental group.
Be creative with fundraising for your cause. Countless organizations are asking students and parents to donate to their cause. The organizers need to get students excited about the cause for them to willingly want to donate. A great way to bring money into the school is for students to bring in their pennies. Have a slogan read Pennies to Save an Orangutan. Parents and students are willing to donate a few pennies to a worthy cause. Remember 10 dollars or 1000 dollars is a great donation if that is what your school is able to provide. Every penny does count when you are donating to a cause.
Litterless Lunch
Students are educated on how to have a litterless lunch. Have a school wide contest on which class has created the most and least amount of garbage. There are many activities that can be developed from litterless lunches. Weighing the waste and graphing, reuse the waste are just two examples of spin offs from the litterless lunch campaign.
Remember: Environmental Clubs should not just be a group of students who collect the recycling in the school. It also needs to address and educate students about environmental issues and how they are affected.
Students will be happy to reduce their footprints if they know why and if they are able to relate.
