[Environmental impact reports] are available each month. As a result of recycling efforts in March, LPS saved:
- 1,501 trees
- 361,980 kWh of energy
- 618,015 gallons of water
- 291 cubic yard of local landfill space
- 5,297 lbs of air pollution
- 36,198 gallons of fuel
If you drive by The Bay in Lincoln you might notice a metal container in the parking lot. This metal freight container is actually growing food inside! Beyond School Bells has brought the first Freight Farm to Nebraska, which is a state-of-the-art hydroponic farm in a shipping container that produces the equivalent of a 2.5 acre farm. This spring, produce from the Freight Farm was used in school cafeterias at Lincoln High and Elliott Elementary [more].
As we wrap up another school year, it is a great time to look back on our progress and accomplishments in sustainability. Click here to read the 2021 Annual Sustainability Report.
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 2021-22 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.]
Thank you to all of the community members who took their scrap metal to one of our partners, Alter Metal Recycling and Sadoff Iron and Metal Recycling Company, and donated to the LPS Recycling Program. This year the LPS Scrap Metal Drive recycled over 66,700 pounds of metal and raised $3,928! [more]
The Sustainability Team was able to celebrate Earth Day with an amazing group of young leaders in the community and talk about climate action at our schools [more].
Locker Clean Out - Recycling Reminder
It is that time of year again for locker clean-outs, desk cleaning, and file sorting. Please remember to recycle your purged materials! It is important to make sure recycling containers are readily available where this cleaning is taking place. You may consider setting out a donation collection container for items to be reused as well. Please contact the LPS Sustainability department if you have any questions about what can be recycled - sustainability@lps.org
In lieu of a 4th Quarter Garden Gathering, we are instead doing an LPS Garden Showcase! We have asked our schools to let us know what they have going on in their gardens and outdoor learning spaces this summer and if they still have any needs for resources, volunteers, or other support. This information is available on this [Garden Showcase Document].
If you have interest in supporting a school garden this summer, please read through the list and see where you can connect. We know it can be tough to maintain these spaces over the summer when school is out, and we appreciate the support from our community!
Summer Reading
The [Climate Action Bookshelf] has been updated and 3 new books have been added! Thank you to Library Services for maintaining this resource for our students and staff – be sure to check it out for some summer reading.
The [Green Schools Catalyst Quarterly] is free for anyone to access and showcases the green schools movement all over the country.
The Global Challenges Summer Camp is an opportunity for high school students to engage with environmental issues by creating community with faculty members, college mentors, and elementary-aged youth in Lincoln. Since the best way to learn is to teach, high school students will work alongside UNL students to create hands-on activities and appropriate environmental lessons to help Nebraska youth understand environmental challenges and become environmental stewards. Applications are still being accepted, and scholarships are available. Click here for more details and to access the application.
Stay connected over the summer
Connect with us on twitter and our facebook page. We will be sharing more of the green schools activities completed this year, as well as ideas and resources for continuing sustainability actions at home!
