6 Questions Schools Should Ask About Going Green

 

Is your school making a commitment to going green? Get the conversation going with these six questions.

 

1. Could your school be recycling unique materials, like school supplies or cafeteria trays?

Do an Internet search for programs that accept non-traditional recyclables. Some may even offer rewards for doing so!

• Take Advantage of These Top School Recycling Resources
• Lesson Plan: Don’t Waste Lunch!
• This Teacher Helped His School Save Money Through Recycling

2. Can you educate students, staff, and faculty about environmentally-friendly behaviors to try on their own?

Encourage your team to organize a walk, bike, or carpool to school day.

• Lesson Plan: Zero-Waste Campaign
• Create a School Recycling Public Relations Campaign That Boosts Community Awareness
• Free Guide: Inspiring Students to Recycle

3. Can you reduce litter by increasing recycling in areas outside of the building? (Think playgrounds, sporting fields, or parking lots.)

Recycle Rally provides an easy way to track your recycling of bottles and cans. It also tells you interesting facts about your impact on the environment.

• • Lesson Plan: How Can We Increase Recycling In Our School?
  • Where Should I Put Our School Recycling Bins?

 

4. Are there any open spaces your school could use to improve its environmental footprint?

Could you plant a vegetable garden or a rain garden?

• Lesson Plan: Soil With Soul
• Lesson Plan: What Are the Benefits of Urban Trees?

5. What are the ways you can conserve water at your school?

Could you place rain barrels outside the school to harvest rainwater?

• Make a Self-Watering Planter From a Plastic Bottle
• Recycling and Reusing Activities Your School Can Do for Spring Clean Up

6. Can your school reduce or repurpose solid waste?

Could you set up a composting station in your cafeteria for your local garden?

• Lesson Plan: Let’s Compost!
• Learn How Organic and Inorganic Materials Decompose
• Lesson Plan: Nature’s Recyclers

Need more help going green? Use Recycle Rally to set up a school-wide recycling program!