Green Your School
This project focuses on critical thinking and problem-solving by applying sustainable green design concepts to problems caused by global warming while incorporating many of the following 21st Century Skills:
A. Learning and Innovation
Creativity and Innovation
Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
Communication
Collaboration
B. Information, Media, and Technology Literacy
Information Literacy
Media Literacy
Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Literacy
C. Life and Careers
Flexibility & Adaptability
Initiative & Self-Direction
Social & Cross-Cultural Skills
Productivity & Accountability
Leadership & Responsibility
D. Interdisciplinary Themes
Global Awareness
Financial, Economic, Business and Entrepreneurial Literacy
Civic Literacy
Health Literacy
Environmental Literacy
The students will develop a proposal that will be presented to the school administration for their consideration, hopefully allowing the entire school to implement the action plan together.
PART I
Read the background essay and discussion questions, watch the episodes, and discuss for the following e2 design episodes:
(1) “Greening the Federal Government”
(2) “The Druk White Lotus School- Ladakh.”
PART II
Using this link http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/school.html download the EPA's Climate Change Emission Calculator Kit (Climate CHECK) to determine the greenhouse gas emissions of your school.
Using the resources listed below or any that you can find on your own, research what you can do to make your campus more energy efficient and environmentally friendly.
Write an action plan to “green your school” by reducing the school’s greenhouse gas emissions and create a formal proposal to present to the board or administrative team.
Implement any changes that you can immediately and keep the school community updated on the progress of the school’s greenhouse gas emission reductions.
Share your action plan with your peers and community through the school newspaper, local paper, and/or blogs!
Online Resources/Links
Read the article ‘Looking for inspiration?’ which talks about the many schools who are going green.
http://www.usgbc.org/News/USGBCInTheNewsDetails.aspx?ID=3165
Watch a video about the Sidwell School, the first secondary school in the country to receive the LEED Platinum rating and learn about how they became the greenest school in the world.
http://www.sidwell.edu/about_sfs/greenbuilding_media.asp
The Alliance to Save Energy has a green schools program as well as lesson plans to improve the energy efficiency of your school. Green Schools teams typically save between 5 to 15 percent on school electricity costs.
A portion of the savings can be returned to your school to make even more significant changes, like retro-fitting the buildings for increased energy efficiency.
http://www.ase.org/programs/green-schools-program
In 2004 Global Green launched a new effort focused on K-12 schools in Southern California called the “Green Schools for Southern California Initiative”. The website has lots of research and case studies to help prepare a well-informed proposal.
http://globalgreen.org/greenurbanism/schools/
Great resources for schools on how and why to go green.
http://www.centerforgreenschools.org/guides.aspx
See what colleges and universities are doing to take on the green power challenge. Some universities are already running on 100% green power! Make your high school like a green college!
http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/partners/hi_ed_challenge.htm
Personal online emissions calculator
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ind_calculator.html