Green Schools . . .

Consider the following: "1.8 billion of the world's 6.6 billion inhabitants are of school age . . . . " That's nearly a third of the earth's population. I feel important; I'm a teacher. Perhaps I might inspire our children to be responsible earth stewards. EarthDay Network is currently trying to determine best ways to make schools greener. Click here to learn about its "Green School's Campaign."

Many schools are simply not placing environmental issues into their curriculum. Some say that our children know how to read and write and do math at graduation. But, they don't truly understand the immense danger facing their natural environment. Some believe that "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) federal legislation, and/or state mandated testing programs, may play a role in the reduction of environmental education in our schools (www.eenclb.org/). Are teachers afraid to venture into subjects that don't align exactly to a state's mandated Standard Course of Study? Does the Standard Course of Study effectively cover environmental issues?

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National Geographic's Green Guide has updated its listing of ten top Green Schools in America. Such schools are not only teaching environmental topics, but are also using Green Building technique in school construction. Click here to take a look at the listing, what they are doing, and criteria for selection. Fourth place goes to East Clayton Elementary, which is not far form my own school. The following makes that school Green:

Built according to green standards, East Clayton Elementary relies on sunlight to illuminate halls and classrooms and recycled denim to insulate the walls. Although lunch isn't organic, it is local and, to save on waste, dishes and silverware are reused. The school has an extensive recycling program and procurement policies emphasize recycled content and length of usable life. To keep kids' lungs healthy, buses aren't allowed to idle outside. The school has included several environmental curricula, including Project Wet, Project Wild, and Hands-on Science in a variety of gardens on campus. East Clayton also takes advantage of an ecosystem-oriented curriculum for outdoor classes at nearby Clemmons Educational State Forest.

National Geographic's Green Guide "Top Ten Green Schools" listing is one of many that exist. Treehugger and Sierra Club also publish a listing via independent research. And, while we're talking about Green Schools, be sure to look at the Green School's Initiative web site. Founded in 2004 by parent-environmentalists, this California-based group offers training to schools wanting to become Green.

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Also, look at http://www.buildgreenschools.org/ of the United States Green Building Council. They focus on energy reduction and healthy learning environments through green building methods. And, see NESEA's (Northeast Sustainable Energy Association) website; it is a fantastic listing of resources for building green schools. Such listing includes the EnergySmart Schools campaign of the United States Department of Energy and its Rebuild America program. "EnergySmart Schools offers schools training workshops, publications, recognition, direct technical assistance, financing options, and a host of other resources toward making school facilities more energy efficient. Resources available on the website include step-by-step guidance for making schools more energy efficient, classroom materials and activities, and information about school buses."

The NESEA site also includes a "Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy (DSIRE), a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility, and selected federal incentives that promote renewable energy. It includes a state-by-state database of 'Schools Going Solar' programs."