Databus Issue: 2009 3 07/13/2009
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Sara Armstrong, PhD Educational Consultant
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Kids Can Be Green, Too!
With a little bit of guidance, students work hard to make the world a better place
Today’s students will be the beneficiaries of green practices that start now. Their interest in climate change, factors affecting air, water, health, conservation, and other environmental issues is immediate and pressing. A number of schools have been enlisting students in study and action for quite awhile. Here is a small sample of student engagement in the challenges and benefits of green practices.
River School, Napa
When students from Napa Valley’s River School first participated in the GenGreen Expo (dubbed the “Green Fair”), they learned about a variety of topics, and met the event’s goal that “each of us, every day, can make a difference.” Students and community businesses and organizations presented ideas provided information and demonstrations on topics that ranged from energy consumption, re-use vs. recycling waste, responsible water management, lowering indoor toxin levels to greenhouse gases and reducing our dependence on chemicals and pesticides. When asked what they learned from the Green Fair about being green, these were some of the responses:
• I learned that by unplugging electronic devices, I can save energy
• Shortening your shower by just a little bit, can make a HUGE difference
• Feral animals can pollute the environment
• Electronics can still be using energy when they’re plugged in even if it’s not turned on
• Dog feces has a humongous impact on the earth
• An aluminum can may take 300 years to break down if it’s not recycled
• Oil dumping is illegal and can result in a prison term
• Plastic can be made out of corn and it will be biodegradable
• We all need to take responsibility for our choices and the impact those choices have on our environment and civilization
After two years of participation in Green Fairs, River students still engage in green practices. Recently 6th graders landscaped the school’s courtyard, researching and employing “green learning” in the process, according to Linda Inlay, River School principal.
John Muir School, San Diego
“Muir students hike, garden, recycle, and observe nature. Then they use those experiences to develop their academic skills. For the past seven years Muir students have frequently shared outdoor experiences with schools around the world,” according to Anne Lambert, library media teacher at John Muir. Indeed, in 2006, John Muir School won the Platinum Award in Global SchoolNet’s CyberFair Contest (
• How can we think globally and act locally?
• How can we make the best use of our limited resources?
• What projects are addressing local issues in San Diego today?
• What more needs to be done?
• What are the futures of our environment—possible, probable, preventable, and preferred?
In their project narrative, Muir’s K-12 students explained that “CyberFair gave us a school-wide focus as we moved into our new campus this year. We created organic gardens, participated in water monitoring, learned about local animals, and visited many parts of our county. We also participated in science fair and the iEARN International Daffodil and Tulip Project.” See the winning website at
Bel Aire Elementary School, Tiburon
Bel Aire School’s “Got Sol?” project engaged students in studying solar power and reaping the benefits by eating a variety of dishes cooked with their solar ovens, including vegetables from the school’s Earth Boxes. Adapting a long-term project developed by Rowena Gerber at Miami Country Day School in Florida, the Bel Aire group hosted a Solar Fest, and continues their communications with children around the world on
Solar Cooker (Picture used with permission)
science topics. Visit Bel Aire School at
Kids care and kids can make a difference. Providing them with opportunities at home and school to learn about environmental issues—and actions they can take—empowers them. Let’s provide means for students to contribute to the health and safety of the world in which they are living.
Sara Armstrong, Ph.D., is a former classroom teacher and currently an educational consultant specializing in project-based learning, digital storytelling, and technology integration into the curriculum. She is a former CUE Board member and CUE Board President; Editor of CUE’s journal, OnCUE; both a Gold Disk and Platinum Disk Winner, and an associate of the Thornburg Center for Professional Development.
An Eclectic Collection of Green Resources
California School Garden Network
< www.csgn.org>
Green Schools Initiative
< www.greenschools.net>
California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom
Natural Resources Defense Council
YouthCaN
iEARN
Global SchoolNet Foundation
TakingITGlobal
EPA Environmental Kids Club
< www.epa.gov/kids/>
Kids For a Clean Environment (Kids F.A.C.E.)
Zoom
< pbskids.org/zoom/activities/action/way04.html >
National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences
NIEHS Kids’ Pages
Environmental Fun for Kids
The MY HERO Project: Environmental Heroes
Many of this year’s ThinkQuest contest winners address a variety of environmental issues. Visit < www.thinkquest.org/library/winners/2009_website.html> to get access to these sites:
SOS Save Our Species
2009 ThinkQuest First Place Winner, 12 and Under
You Be the Change
2009 ThinkQuest Third Place Winner, 15 and Under
A Croak of Caution
2009 ThinkQuest Third Place Winner, 12 and Under
Amazonia: Endangered Beauty
2009 Honorable Mention Winner, 19 and Under
Earth: Project Protection
2009 Honorable Mention Winner, 19 and Under
Cars of the Future
2009 Honorable Mention Winner, 15 and Under
Flying Jewels
2009 Honorable Mention Winner, 15 and Under
Many other student ThinkQuest entries have addressed environmental concerns. Visit the ThinkQuest Library (
The first iteration of this article appeared in Computer-Using Educator’s journal, OnCUE, in the Winter 2007 issue. Used with permission.
