Green school curriculum

A Green school must have a green curriculum. In a green curriculum there are three components: basic subjects such as math and English. The students must also be taught the arts and they must also have green studies, which are hands on experiences in nature. It is important for students to have these hands on experiences because it makes learning fun, and also it helps them learn more about the environment.

The Head Royce School is a green school that is often seen as a model green school for its green programs, and green resources. The educational program has introduced an edible garden for the lower grade students, an ecology unit in the middle school that covers two months, and offered electives for high school students that cover environmental history, astronomy, and global science. The elementary school has also created a musical about the earth. The middle school had a green day where they featured solar energy displays and energy efficient cars. The high school also had a green days where they covered many topics in their workshops, such as “How to launch a career in the environmental movement,” and “land trusts: how they protect open space, farmland, wildfire habitat and the environment.”

Through the Head Royce School’s curriculum, the students are able to learn the importance of going green and are able to come up with effective ways of helping the environment. If every school created a curriculum that was similar to the curriculum of the Head Royce schools, students would find that “going green” is extremely important.

http://www.greenschool.org/curriculum/general-curriculum/
http://www.headroyce.org/page.cfm?p=51
http://www.colerainebc.gov.uk/show.php?id=964

"Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle"

Recycling is a major component in going green and recycling programs are becoming extremely prevalent in schools across the United States. Recycling conserves natural resources, presents a learning experience for the students, and helps schools save money by cutting down on disposal costs. In order to have a successful recycling program, schools must reduce waste, reuse materials and recycle wastes. One of the most commonly recycled materials is paper, but there are many other materials that can be recycled and are often recycled in schools, such as metal and food.

In order to recycle paper, many schools have put boxes in each classroom that say paper only on them, so the students know that the paper must be put there for recycling. Metal recycling is often seen in schools with vending machines or schools that sell canned beverages. In order for a school to be able to recycle metal, they must first contact their council in ask to be supplied with recycling bins for cans. Many schools now have begun to use composts. A compost is where the school can put recycled food such as banana peels, orange peels and apples. This food then turns into soil and becomes great soil for growing plants because it is rich in vitamins.

With recycling, schools can save money on disposal costs, help out the environment, and help students learn about the importance of recycling and helping out the environment.  Recycling is extremely important in creating a green school and it is a great way to help out the environment.

http://www.scdhec.gov/environment/lwm/recycle/pubs/start_school_recycling.pdf
http://www.recycling-guide.org.uk/schools.html
http://www.piranhatt.com/items/plastic_recycling_process.jpg

"Chefs Move To Schools" video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH4QbK9dr2E

"Chefs Move To Schools"

Through an effort to reduce the obesity rate in children in America, Michelle Obama created a program called "Chefs Move To Schools." In this program, Chefs partner up with schools within the program and come up with ways to create healthy organic food for the students. This program is a way to limit the obesity rate in the country and also to help children make healthier food choices. Having a chef partnered with each school not only increases the quality and healthiness of the food, it makes it fun and different for the children as well!

This program has become very popular and has spread throughout the United States. There are over 42 million children participating in the program with their schools. The program helps children eat better by giving a planner to each student that suggests healthier food options, and by getting the students to eat more whole grain and organic foods. By students eating healthier, they stay away from processed food, which is not healthy for their bodies and is not good for the environment. By eating organic, it uses less energy, and preserves water because it reduces the amount of pesticides going into the water supply.

Through the “Chefs Move To Schools” movement, children will learn to have a healthier diet and it will greatly benefit the environment. Through the program, less chemicals and unnatural food will be ingested by the students, which will greatly benefit their health.

http://healthymeals.nal.usda.gov/nal_display/index.php?info_center=14&tax_level=1&tax_subject=225
http://www.thefutureisorganic.net/tenreasons.htm
http://www.letsmove.gov/healthierschoolfood.php
http://www.google.com/images?client=safari&rls=en&q=kids+hands+on+globe&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi&biw=988&bih=600

Organic food movement in schools

In an effort to help children grow up healthy, many schools have been purchasing organic food instead of processed food. Organic food is important for children because children eat more and drink more, therefore they ingest more pesticides. Many parents have been concerned about what their children were eating in schools. As a result, the organic food movement has been growing rapidly in schools to increase the healthiness of the students.

Since younger children still have developing organs, chemicals and pesticides are harsher on their bodies. Also, due to their weak immune systems, it makes it much more difficult for children to get rid of the chemicals in their system. At a school in Olympia, called Lincoln Elementary school, the school banned junk food and has also set up an organic salad bar for their students. This school is one example of how to have healthier food options within schools. Many schools have found other ways to help their students eat organic. A great amount of schools in New York, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, California, and New Hampshire participate in a program with an organic company called Stonyfield Farm. This program has helped schools n these states get vending machines with many organic snacks. It is extremely important for students to have an organic diet because it increases their health. Through the organic school movement, students will become healthier and also learn to eat healthier.


http://organiconthegreen.wordpress.com/page/2/
http://www.grinningplanet.com/2006/05-02/healthy-school-lunch-article.htm
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2004-09-12-organic-food-schools_x.htm

Growing Greener Schools.mp4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH4QbK9dr2E

The gardening movement

A way that some schools are going green, is by participating in the gardening movement. In the gardening movement, school officials create organic gardens where they can grow their own food, teach their students how to grow their own food, while creating a healthier environment for them. Through the gardening movement, schools can lessen the obesity rate in their area and also help prevent diabetes in their students because childhood obesity and diabetes has been increasing throughout America.

Since the majority of the population does not grow their own food, people are forced to get food from other resources, such as fast food places, and grocery stores. Food that is sold from places like these, are usually shipped from farms that are distant, therefore, many pesticides are needed in order to preserve the food. The ingestion of these pesticides, has created many health problems among the population, such as high blood pressure, and diabetes.


Food that is from grocery stores and fast food services, is also often processed food, which can also create many health risks. Many products found in supermarkets contain high fructose corn syrup, which is a man made sugar derived from corn. It is glucose turned into fructose which is a form of sugar. Many places use high fructose corn syrup because it is cheaper than regular sugar and it also works as a preservative. Although it is cheaper, it is very unhealthy, and is high in calories.

By creating organic gardens at schools, students are able to enjoy food that does not contain pesticides and is not processed, and they are also able to learn about gardening and nutrition. At Troy Howard Middle School, students have learned how to use scraps of food as fertilizer for the soil that they grow their garden in. They have also learned how to grow plants,  and cook healthy food. By Creating gardens at schools, students health will improve, and so will their knowledge about organic gardening.

http://www.peacefulplaygrounds.com/schools-teaching-organic-gardening.htm
http://www.atlantapublicschools.us/1861101118113928800/cwp/view.asp?A=3&Q=292309&C=55708

Building Green

One way in which schools are taking part in the green movement, is they are actually building new schools or reconstructing old ones to become "green schools." A green school is a school that uses less energy, resources, and money to create a healthier learning environment. At Rosa Parks elementary school, in Portland, Oregon, the school created  effective ways to save energy and money. To use less electricity, the school put in many skylights, to increase the amount of natural sunlight.Some schools also use solar panels to cut down on the use of electricity.The school also put extra insulation to cut down on heating costs and the school is 2.4 acres away from two bus lines, which can cut down the use of buses and children can walk to school.At Middlebury College in Vermont, the school built a biomass gasification plant. This plant is meant to limit the carbon dioxide at the school, and it has limited carbon dioxide by 40%! the plant also limited the use of fuel oil by 50%!
What many schools have also been doing is teaching their students how to go green and many schools have even created organic farms to be healthier and to teach the children about organic farming. At Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA, the school created an organic farm on campus and are teaching their students about organic farming. The school also, uses vehicles that are electrically powered.
It is incredible what these schools are doing. Green schools use 30%-50% less energy and they also have had a great effect on children's health. Studies show that they have reduced asthma in their schools by 38.5%.  By going green, a school can save up to $100,000 a year! The money that is saved can go to other resources, such as more computers, or more teachers. If more schools were doing what these schools are doing, the health of the students with greatly benefit and it would save a great amount of money that can be used for other resources.


http://www.greenschoolbuildings.org
http://www.associatesdegree.com/2010/02/07/50-big-ways-that-schools-are-going-green/