Environmental impact reports are now available for September. As a result of recycling efforts last month, LPS saved:
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763 trees
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184,005 kWh of energy
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314,155 gallons of water
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148 cubic yards of local landfill space
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2,693 lbs of air pollution
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18,400 gallons of fuel
Compost Program continues to make a big impact
The compost program was implemented in 8 more schools in August, bringing the total up to 49 participating schools. The weights are in and LPS was able to divert over 106 tons of organic material from the landfill through composting during 1st quarter!
America Recycles Day is November 15th
November 15th is America Recycles Day and there are plenty of ways to celebrate at your school. Keep America Beautiful has plenty of Activities for K-12 Schools to choose from including the #BERECYCLED pledge. LPS also has 14 schools participating in the Keep America Beautiful Recycle Bowl competition which started on October 15th and ends on America Recycles Day. Those schools will be giving extra attention to promoting and supporting the recycling efforts in their building during the competition.
The points are rolling in from our Green Schools Recognition Program activities. Several schools had green team meetings, worked in their garden, and took their classroom lessons outside! Prescott Elementary is in the lead for points so far. One of their activities included a Walk and Bike to School Day celebration where over a hundred students walked or biked to Prescott and the after school activities included free safety checks from Bike Rack and a presentation from the Lincoln Police Department. This is a great example of a Green Schools Recognition Program bringing in some wonderful community partners to support their school sustainability AND safety efforts!
Join the Green Schools Recognition Program any time and don’t forget to report your points!
Trash talking in Kindergarten
1st quarter has wrapped up, which means another 3,000+ kindergarten students have completed their Garbology science unit and learned all about Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Compost! This unit is accompanied by a presentation from members of the LPS Sustainability department and Keep Lincoln Lancaster County Beautiful. During this presentation, students watch a video showing Lincoln’s Bluff Road Landfill. They also learn about litter prevention and get to see real examples of products made from the items we recycle every day. All kindergarten students are provided a Waste Reduction and Recycling Guide to take home and share with their family.
Looking forward to springtime gardens
Cold weather may be approaching, but now is a great time to be thinking about your garden plans for the spring! Any new projects need to be approved by Facilities, so be sure to check out the requirements and steps for that process in the LPS Garden Manual.
We have also had several inquiries for Master Gardeners recently, and there is now an LPS FORM available for anyone to fill out if they would like to request a volunteer for their garden. Please take time to look over the application and carefully plan your request - this will improve your likelihood of being selected by a Master Gardener Volunteer.
Green Apple Day of Service is an opportunity to join schools across the world in celebrating the central role that schools play in preparing the next generation of leaders in sustainability. A school’s event improves the learning environment while strengthening student civic leadership, environmental literacy, and project management skills. Since it began in 2012, Green Apple Day of Service has inspired over 900,000 volunteers in 80 countries to act in support of sustainability at their schools. With one in eight people around the globe attending a school every day, there is more work to be done! Schools and the community leaders who support them can choose their own date for their project, and they have access to mini-grants and personalized guidance to help them make their projects a reality. Sign up and register your project by March 15, 2019 to participate at greenapple.org.
Green Schools National Network membership benefits are available
Lincoln Public Schools is a member of the Green Schools National Network, which means ALL of our staff have free access to Green Teacher Magazine. You can read their most recent Fall 2018 issue, or check out any previous issues by using the log-in password 116plan.
There are also tons of great stories in the Green Schools Catalyst Quarterly. Check out the latest issue HERE to learn more about the role of schools in community health and resilience.
You can also create your very own GSNN membership page to stay up-to-speed on the latest in green, healthy, and sustainable schools through Green Teacher magazine, GreenNotes, and the Green Schools Catalyst Quarterly.
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