It’s Sort of Easy Being Green Tom Fitzpatrick Roanoke City Public Schools

Why? From the SOL Introduction As a result of science instruction, students will achieve the following objectives:  Make informed decisions regarding contemporary issues, taking into account the following:  public policy and legislation;  economic costs/benefits;  validation from scientific data and the use of scientific reasoning and logic;  respect for living things;  personal responsibility; and  history of scientific discovery.

Why? SOL Correlations  K.11 Reuse, recycle, conserve  1.8 Natural Resources are limited  3.9 Water Quality  3.10 Conservation and Resource Renewal  3.11 Renewable and Nonrenewable Energy  4.9 Virginia Resources  5.7 Human impact on Earth’s surface  6.9 Public Policy and the Environment  ES.10 ES.11 Human impact and Public Policy on the Atmosphere and Chesapeake Bay  BIO.8 Effects of Human Activity on Ecosystems

Why? Roanoke City Public Schools  Fishburn Park Elementary School- Focus for Environmental Science  “Green Bias” of the Financial Administrator and Science Supervisor

Resources- Va Department of Ed Science

Va Department of Education Science Environmental Literacy Page

Resources Community Partners  Local Water Authority  Local Electric Company  Civic Groups  Education Partners- Museums

Recognition Programs Virginia Naturally Schools  Administered by the Va Department of Game and Inland Fisheries  Go see them in the Exhibit Hall- Suzie Gilley  School chooses and implements a project  School recruits one or more partners  Show:  1. Administrative support  2. Staff Development / Curriculum Integration  3. Resource Conservation  4. Meaningful Field Experiences  Multi-year program with increasing rigor  Apply May 1 through June 30 each year

Recognition Programs Project Learning Tree Green Schools

 Attend a Project Learning Tree Professional Development Workshop  Use PLT activities in your curriculum  Form a student-led Green Team  Conduct Investigations provided by PLT  Take Action- on what you learned from one or more of the investigations  Apply for a Certificate

Recognition Programs Virginia Environmental Literacy Challenge -Look for details on the Virginia Department of Education Science Website. -This program was created by the Governor in April 2015

Recognition Programs US Dept. of Education Green Schools  Rigorous National Recognition Program  Details on the DOE website  December 7 Deadline for Applications  Based on Three Pillars:  Positive Environmental Impact of Infrastructure  Positive Impact on students and staff members health  Environmentally Literate Students

Funding  DonorsChoose.org  Project Learning Tree Green Works Grants  Dominion Environmental Stewardship Grants  Virginia Environmental Endowment  NOAA B-WET Grants  Chesapeake Pay Restoration and Education Grants  Local Donors

Everyone Can Implement Something!  No Job is too Big No Action too Small For the care of the Earth Is the Job of Us All!

12 Things You and Your School Can Do 1. Classroom Recycling  Choose an item  Create Posters  Collect the items  Do the Math- count, graph, etc.

12 Things You and Your School Can Do 2. Grade Level Recycling  PK- Plastic rings  K- Cookie Bags  First- Plastic twist caps  Second- Dead Markers  Third- Soda Tabs  Fourth- Ink Cartridges  Fifth- Cell Phones

12 Things You and Your School Can Do 3. Professional Development  Project WILD  Growing Up WILD  Project Learning Tree  Project WET  Project Underground  Chesapeake Bay Foundation

12 Things You and Your School Can Do 4. Earth Hour  Held monthly  Adults design a one hour lesson relating to the theme  Students choose what to attend  Recruit “teachers” beyond the usual staff

12 Things You and Your School Can Do 4. Earth Hour  Held monthly  Choose an activity that can be done in all classes

12 Things You and Your School Can Do 5. Trout in the Classroom  Students raise trout from egg to fingerling and release 

12 Things You and Your School Can Do 6. Composting  Depends on local availability  Large Scale- school or Division-wide

12 Things You and Your School Can Do 7. Wormfarming or Vermiculture  Purchase or make a worm farm  Properly maintained, there is no smell or mess  Students observe life cycles and composting first hand

12 Things You and Your School Can Do 8. Establish NO IDLING Zones  The idea came from the Green Ribbon Schools application  Create signs, have students make flyers to give to parents who pick up students.

12 Things You and Your School Can Do 10. Energy Conservation  Watt’s Up  Kill A Watt  Measure electricity usage

12 Things You and Your School Can Do 11. Grade Level Gardens  Lots of community support available  Work with your curriculum  K: Sense Garden  VS: Jamestown Garden  Consider Summer!

12 Things You and Your School Can Do 12. Earth Week  3 Themes:  Land  Water  Air

Start small, but start.