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Edutopia Think Green Resource Guide 0
Edutopia Think Green Resource Guide 0
THINK GREEN
2010
#1
#2 #3
#4 #5
Envision Eco-Art
#6 #7
Move Smarter
#8 #9
Suzie Boss
#10
visit edutopia.org
tip #1
Related Resources:
The Zerofootprint Kids Calculator is
designed to help kids estimate their carbon footprint (www.zerofoot printkids.com). With older students or for more in-depth analysis, try the Household Emissions Calculator from the Environmental Protection Agency
(www.epa.gov/climatechange/ emissions/ind_calculator.html).
EDUTOPIA.ORG
tip #2
Related Resources:
Join the Teach Paperless campaign
at Shelley Blake-Pollocks blog
(http://teachpaperless.blogspot. com), and read the post that got this project going (http://teachpaperless. blogspot.com/2009/04/i-was-paperjunkie.html). Follow TeachPaperless
EDUTOPIA.ORG
tip #3
Related Resources:
Lets Move is a new national initiative
to raise a healthier generation of kids. Watch the video message from First Lady Michelle Obama (www.letsmove.gov).
EDUTOPIA.ORG
tip #4
Related Resources:
The voyage of The Plastiki is a Web
2.0 adventure. Online resources include The Plastiki Web site (www.theplastiki.com), David de Rothschilds Twitter feed (http:// twitter.com/DRexplore), and more resources from National Geographic
(www.nationalgeographic.com/ eld/projects/plastiki.html).
EDUTOPIA.ORG
tip #5
Envision Eco-Art
SINCE THE FIRST EARTH DAY IN 1970, this annual event has included
art events that celebrate nature and advocate for a healthier planet. But theres no need to limit such engaging projects to one day a year. A growing array of resources will help you integrate environmental art into teaching throughout the year. Eco-art projects oer ideal opportunities for making connections across disciplines. Greenmuseum.org, an online museum of environmental art, shows what eco-art looks like in practice and oers a tool kit for educators. Featured student projects range from creating interpretive signage for public green spaces to exploring the sculptural and kinetic possibilities of compost bins. Environmental art, like the world around us, is naturally interdisciplinary. A case study from the Center for Ecoliteracy (www.ecoliteracy.org) describes a project in which students collected paper from on-campus recycling bins, turned it into pulp, and made handcrafted paperwhich they then used to create a paper quilt. In the process, they learned rsthand about how systems work. Moving things from trash to treasurethats the idea behind a growing number of community organizations that supply educators with reclaimed materials for making art and other projects. Trash for Teaching (www.trashforteaching.com), a nonprot organization based in Southern California, even has a van that brings recycled materials right to the campus. (See Related Resources for more details.) What can students make with recycled materials? Pizza boxes offer a perfect canvas for self-portraits, according to art teacher Karen Stanton. (How to Make a Pizza Box Portrait is one of the many projects featured on the Green Art Project Web site (www.thegreenartproject.com). By thinking like designers, students can turn junk into birdbaths, outdoor sculptures, murals, recycling receptacles, picnic benches, and an unending array of other projects. Dont forget to share your students eco-art projects with the world. Students can upload their best work to PlanetFesto (www.planetfesto.org) to help encircle the planet with a ribbon of green art.
Related Resources:
Kids made Trashasaurus Rexa
colorful mascot for the Imagination Factoryfrom thousands of pieces of postconsumer solid waste. Artist and educator Marilyn Brackney shares the story behind the mascot and more award-winning strategies for transforming trash into meaningful art (www.kid-at-art.com).
To plan an interdisciplinary
environmental project, you may want to nd a willing teaching partner. Social networks for educators can help you nd colleagues eager to brainstorm. Edutopia hosts groups on topics like green schools, project learning, and more (www.edutopia. org/groups). Classroom 2.0 (www.classroom20.com) is a social network that connects educators worldwide.
oer recycled materials for schools. Check out SCRAP (www.scrapaction. org) in Portland, Oregon; Arts & Scraps (http://artsandscraps.org) in Detroit, Michigan; ArtStart (www. artstart.org) in St. Paul, Minnesota; and Resource Depot (www. resourcedepot.net) in Palm Beach County, Florida.
EDUTOPIA.ORG
tip #6
Move Smarter
HOW MANY OF YOUR STUDENTS ride a bus or car to school each day? How
many power up their journey on bike or by foot? Green transportation projects help kids understand the consequences of their daily transportation choicesand think about alternatives. Before launching a project, start by establishing baseline data with a survey of students current transportation habits. SurveyMonkey (www.surveymonkey.com) is one of many online survey tools you can use for this. Once you have a reading on your students travel habits, get them thinking about what they can do to cut down on daily fuel use. Encourage them to think about how they will measure the impact of their new habits, and look for real-world connections to math concepts. Many communities are launching walking school bus programs to cut down on motorized trips while encouraging more physical activity. Typically, parents take turns accompanying younger walkers to ensure safety. Older students might want to organize a bike train and share the ride with a group. Information about setting up both programs is available from Safe Routes to School (www.saferoutesinfo.org/guide/ walking_school_bus/index.cfm). Carpooling to school cuts down on the number of cars on the road and reduces congestion and pollution in school neighborhoods. In many communities, its easy to nd a carpool to join. SchoolPool, in Kansas City, Missouri, is a voluntary program that coordinates carpooling with a free online database (www.marc.org/rideshare/ schoolpool.htm#join) . Charlottesville, Virginia, offers a similar program, along with a commuting calculator to help you assess the real costs of driving (www.rideshareinfo.org/calculator.asp). If your community doesnt yet have a carpool program, challenge your students to start one. Students who are old enough to drive are old enough to think about driving more efficiently. Keeping car tires properly inated is a simple way to improve fuel eciency. Oering tire-pressure checks could be a good community-service project or club activity. Related Resources: How walkable is your neighborhood?
Walk Score is an online tool that enables you to calculate the walkability of any address and also see how your neighborhood score compares with others (www. walkscore.com).
EDUTOPIA.ORG
tip # 7
Related Resources:
Listen to William Kamkwamka
share his inspiring story in this radio interview (www.theworld.
org/2009/11/16/windpower-fromscratch) or watch him in this TEDTalk video (www.ted.com/ talks/william_kamkwamba_how_i_ harnessed_the_wind.html). Students
can ask him questions directly or make comments on his blog (http://
williamkamkwamba.typepad.com).
EDUTOPIA.ORG
tip # 8
Related Resources:
This article from Converge magazine
describes how to make a compelling public service announcement
(www.convergemag.com/ artsandhumanities/How-toCreate-the-Perfect-Public-ServiceAnnouncement.html).
EDUTOPIA.ORG
tip # 9
Related Resources:
To see how local water projects can
engage learners, see the Edutopia article, Classrooms Without Boundaries: Taking Education Outside in Hawaii (http://www.edutopia.org/ classrooms-without-boundaries).
EDUTOPIA.ORG
tip # 10
Related Resources:
Wetland Watchers: Kids Care for
Their Environment is an Edutopia video that shows how a Louisiana school combines service learning with environmental action (www. edutopia.org/wetland-watchers).
EDUTOPIA.ORG
Edutopia is where The George Lucas Educational Foundations vision to highlight what works in education comes to life. We are a nonprot operating foundation providing real-world examples from districts, schools, and programs that are successfully changing how our children learn. Through our award-winning Web site, videos, and growing online community, Edutopias mission is to support and empower education transformation by shining a spotlight on innovative and successful learning environments and providing proven strategies, tools, and resources for adaptation and replication. To nd and share solutions, visit Edutopia.org.
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