Earth Day is Friday, April 22nd, and we are excited to see all the ways our schools take time to recognize the importance of protecting our environment and appreciate the wonderful experiences and resources nature provides to us.
If you are still looking for ideas for a school, classroom, or club activity, check out our LPS Earth Day Resources. We have updated the Earth Day Bingo Cards with fun new resources and activities for all ages.
Help us celebrate Earth Day together by sharing your photos using #LPSearthday or e-mailing them to balbin@lps.org
Environmental impact reports are now available for February. As a result of recycling efforts, LPS saved:
- 456 trees
- 110,057 kWh of energy
- 187,902 gallons of water
- 89 cubic yards of local landfill space
- 1,611 lbs of air pollution
- 11,006 gallons of fuel
This spring, all LPS high schools have transitioned to having metal cutlery in the cafeteria which was made possible with funding from the Food Waste Warrior Grant. Prior to this change, single-use plastic cutlery was still being used at five of the six high schools. The Food Waste Warrior program is an initiative that aims at reducing the amount of cafeteria waste being thrown away and increasing the education around excess food waste [more].
The Green School Recognition Program will be coming to a close soon, so be sure to catch up on submitting your activities from the year. All activities from the 2020-21 school year need to be submitted by Monday, May 9th. If you have done any green school projects (gardens, eco club meetings, Earth Day Celebration, sustainability tips, bike to school event, etc.) then you have points and FUNDING waiting for you! Report activities here.
The 21st Annual Cans4Books is under way! Raise money for your school library AND do something good for the planet by recycling your aluminum cans.
Don’t forget to bring your cans to Green Quest Recycling through April 30th and be sure to mention that you are donating to the LPS Cans4Books drive. Donations made for your school will be used to purchase books from Barnes & Noble for your school library.
Drop Off Location: Green Quest Recycling, 440 J Street, M – F from 7:30 am – 4 pm
Please share this information with the rest of your school community!
School Garden and Outdoor Learning Resources
Gardening season is rapidly approaching, so don’t forget about all of the resources we have available to support those efforts:
- FREE Seed Starting Kits are available from Community Crops! E-mail balbin@lps.org to request one for your school
- Join the LPS School Gardens Workspace on Slack to connect with garden volunteers and community partners. E-mail balbin@lps.org to be added to the group.
- Check out the latest LPS School Garden Newsletter from Community Crops and all of their past newsletters with tips and resources for our school garden volunteers
- Don’t forget about the School Garden Manual available for those wanting to start up a garden or explore resources for maintaining the space they have
- Check out some of the amazing gardens we have across the district and get inspired!
The LPS Sustainability team is hiring for their first ever School Gardens & Outdoor Learning Internship. The application will be closing soon, so please share with anyone who may be interested in supporting these efforts with our schools.
Click HERE for more information about the position and instructions for accessing the application.
Lincoln Earth Day is back in person and at a new location – Nebraska Innovation Campus! The celebration is scheduled for Saturday, April 23rd from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. There will be over 50 engagement booths, a morning bike ride and yoga session, local food vendors, and a ‘Living Green’ Speaker Panel. Head to the Lincoln Earth Day Website for their schedule, community calendar of events, and resource map for environmental organizations.
They are also still looking for VOLUNTEERS to support this community celebration, so please consider signing up and sharing this opportunity with others.
The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy is hosting their “Nebraska Don’t Waste It!” calendar contest again this year. All Nebraska students grades K-12 are eligible to submit their artwork to be featured in the 2023 calendar. Entries must be sent in by May 2, 2022. For more details and information on the contest visit the NDEE Calendar Contest website.
Other reminders and resources:
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