Earth Day is Saturday, 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 that nature provides.
If you are still looking for ideas for a school, classroom, or club activity, check out the LPS Earth Day Bingo Cards.
Help us celebrate Earth Day together by sharing your photos using #LPSearthday or e-mailing them to sustainability@lps.org.
Environmental impact reports are now available for February. As a result of recycling efforts, LPS saved:
- 1,170 trees
- 282,136 kWh of energy
- 481,696 gallons of water
- 227 cubic yards of local landfill space
- 4,129 lbs of air pollution
- 28,214 gallons of fuel
This month's Sustainability Spotlight is shining on Krista Couton, sustainability champion and music teacher at Robinson Elementary School! With the sustainable design of the new school and support from students and staff, Robinson has already become a leader of sustainable initiatives this school year [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 2022-23 school year need to be submitted by Friday, May 5th.
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 22nd Annual Cans4Books is underway! 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!
Student of Sustainability (S.O.S.) Network
After the success of the S.O.S. Summit in February, we have now launched the Students of Sustainability Network, which was an idea suggested by the students in attendance at the summit. This network will be hosted on a google classroom for now, with hopes for more student engagement events in the future. The google classroom is a space for LPS high school students to connect with each other and share the student-led environmental activities and initiatives already happening at our schools AND explore possibilities for future efforts.
Any Lincoln Public Schools high school students are welcome to join this google classroom and connect with their peers. For more information, and to get your students connected with the network, e-mail sustainability@lps.org
May is National Bike Month and National Bike & Roll to School Day is May 3rd, 2023. All of our schools are encouraged to celebrate and join this great opportunity to engage students and families in safe, healthy, and environmentally-friendly transportation.
Resources and examples have been gathered on our Sustainable Transportation Webpage. If your school is celebrating, be sure to register your event and see who else is biking and rolling. While May 3rd is the official date, schools are welcome to celebrate any day in May that best fits their schedules.
Gardening season is rapidly approaching, so don’t forget about all of the resources we have available to support those efforts:
- Join the LPS School Gardens Workspace on Slack to connect with garden volunteers and community partners. E-mail sustainability@lps.org to be added to the group.
- Review these School Garden Newsletters previously provided by Community Crops with tips and resources for 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 garden examples we have across the district and get inspired!
If you are interested in learning more about school gardens or have a question, e-mail jfarho@lps.org.
Visit the LPS Sustainability Team at their booth at the Lincoln Earth Day celebration! Join us at Nebraska Innovation Campus on Saturday, April 15th from 10 am-2 pm. There will be over 50 booths that promote and educate about environmental stewardship, a pre-event bike ride available in the morning, a Green Vehicle Showcase, and the first ever city-wide clothing swap. 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.
Spring cleaning time is here! If you find yourself needing to recycle some scrap metal, consider taking it to one of our partner locations and donating to the LPS Recycling Program! Click HERE for more information and a list of acceptable materials.
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