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Lights Out Wilmette!
We are proud to partner up with Go Green Wilmette to spread the word about "Lights Out Wilmette!" which will help with bird migration this spring!
Birds migration from the south to the north in the spring in search of food and nesting spots. They travel by night to save on energy and to protect themselves from predators.
Birds migrate from March 1st to June 15th. The peak dates are May 1st - 15th. The Mississippi Flyway is the path over us that birds take. Over 500 million birds have been recorded migrating in one night!
Birds use the Earth's magnetic field, the moon and stars to help guide them home. When there's too much light pollution they can get confused, tired or even crash into windows.
We can help!
We can help!
Turn off lights when not in use! Close blinds and curtains so birds don't get confused. Use outdoor lights that shine down instead of up. Choose warm, yellow colored lights with less than 3000K Kelvins or less than 2000lm Lumens. (Look for the Dark Sky logo on light bulb packages!) You can also put special reflective window clings on your windows if birds fly into them!
More Info
More Info
Check out Go Green Wilmette and Lights Out Wilmette for more information.
Check out https://birdcast.org/ for a live viewing of bird migration! So cool!
Earth Week - April 20th - 24th
The Green Team is partnering with Go Green Wilmette to help with the important work of Lights Out Wilmette and Dark Sky International! We can't wait to spread the word to all our Foxes!
Join Lights Out Wilmette and Dark Sky International for two weeks this Spring, when millions of birds travel the Mississippi flyway through, and above, our neighborhood. Birds become confused by artificial lights at night and can fly into windows. Let’s help them out!
Here are three tangible ways that your family can make a difference during peak dates, especially May 1st through May 15th:
Turn off exterior lighting and interior lighting, or draw blinds, each evening after 11 p.m. until full daylight. Birds migrate at night!
Buy bird deterrents for windows, such as iridescent decals. This has been very successful at reducing bird strikes at Central Elementary School! You can also make hand-made ones.
Change outdoor lighting for good, with healthier choices for humans and wildlife.
o Look for bulbs with less than 3000 Kelvins, and less than 2000 Lumens
o Replace fixtures with those that direct the light downward. Look for the Dark Sky Approved label when searching.
Find many more resources here:
Adjust your Lights for Safe Bird Flights - Go Green Wilmette
Holiday Lights Drive!
Green Team at the Board Meeting!
Green Team members led the pledge of allegeience at the November 17th Board Meeting! They also gave a short presentation about all the hard work our Green Team members have done this year! Well done! We're so proud of you!
Green Team Live Streams with scientists!
New this year - Green Team members can give up their lunch period to come watch a live conversation with a scientist! Skype with a Scientist happens once a month and we LOVE to participate! Unfortunately the live stream goes past our lunch period, so Green Team members are encouraged to finish watching the presentation at home via the links below.
December: We met with Mr. Andy Lee this month - a PhD candidate at Purdue University who's passion is snails and climate change. Climate change poses challenges for many marine animals - Andy uses genetic data to study how animals adapt to a changing ocean. We had a very lively crowd for this one with lots of questions! Watch the whole presentation here!
November: We met with Ms. Madelyn Leembruggen, who is a researcher turned science communicator. She's graduated from Harvard University in 2024 with a PhD in Theoretical Physics and is now a science writer. She gave a fascinating presentation on all things physics! Watch it here!
October: We met Ms. Eman Khwaja, a marine biologist who's working on her PhD at UMass Dartmouth. Her research focuses on humpback whale behavior changes around Massachusetts. (check her out on Instagram! @whale_detective)
30 Green Team students participated today - we got quite a few questions answered! Watch the full event here!
Environmental Awareness Week 2025
EA week was a great success! Our students saved energy by turning off lights around Central, colored environmentally themed pictures on recycled paper for local nursing home residents and our Green Team did their first campus clean up of the year! Walk to School day was a popular day with a huge group dancing on the black top before our school day. Our spirit day on Friday was a sea of green around school! We love to see it!
Start Collecting Pop Tabs!
Pop Tab collections are starting up again this year! Collect pop tabs from cans at home and bring them to your classroom. Then, once a month the Green Team will collect pop tabs from all the classrooms. Pop tabs will be weighed, recycled and donated to the Ronald McDonald House Charities. The class with the most pop tabs each month will win the Golden Pop Tab Award! Check out the video below for more information.
The first pop tab collection date will be October 23rd this year!
Congratulations Green Team Members!
Congratulations Green Team Members!
Team 1: Environmental Grinches
Team 2: Recycling Rocks
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