"Small Steps"

Small Steps

Recently, Caleb Greenwood K-8 School in East Sacramento has began making small steps in educating the students, staff, & families about ways to help our earth. The “Green Team” had their first successful project in December ’09 which focused on the 3 “R’s” (Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle). K-5 grade students made holiday ornaments out of used CD’s that were decorated with the recycling logo. The “CD’s” ornaments were then sold for $1 @ Caleb’s annual Holiday Pancake Breakfast and Run. All proceeds were to raise money for future “Green” programs for the school, like the upcoming Worm Composting Assembly that is scheduled for February 24th, 2010. The Earth Day Festival/Activities is scheduled for the month of April 2010.

The Earth Day Festival will be partnering with various community organizations and businesses to help promote & strengthen “Green” efforts for Caleb Greenwood students. For example, to launch the Earth Day program we have invited the City of Sacramento to come & discuss what happens to household waste after it leaves the recycling and/or garbage bins.

Caleb’s “Green Team” projects also hopes to build a bridge with the Sacramento Unified School District by assisting with some of the goals as laid out in the school districts strategic plans of 2010. First, as Policy priority #4 .2 goal suggests; “Strengthen partnerships with community-based organizations & agencies to enhance social, emotional, & physical safety of students.”, the Caleb “Green Team” are as in the examples above working towards this policy (I.e.- City of Sacramento). Another part of working towards this goal will be accomplished by an Educational Garden that Caleb Greenwood is beginning. This garden will enhance each students’ direct relationship within the social network of their school peers, neighbors, & community at large. As told by the Garden of Learning founder Kelli Wessman “A well structured garden program benefits children in many ways: Develops a true cooperative spirit as children work together toward a common goal.” And, the garden, on an emotional level “provides for children a respite from the busy school life by allowing children to focus on a task in a smaller, quieter setting (source:http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/Publications/Schools/56001007.PDF, pg.37).”

Second, as Policy Priority # 4.4 goal reads “Implement energy effeminacy strategies to reduce our energy consumption.” By having a worm composting at our school we can help reduce energy consumption by reducing the waste stream as well as cutting disposal costs. Third, for Policy Priority # 6.1 states “Provide informational technical assistance, training, & other supports necessary to assist district schools in planning & implementing effective parent engagement activities to improve student achievement.” This “Green Team’ can work together with the school district by incorporating activities, such as recycling that are known to improve student achievement.

“The practical nature of recycling is also a way in which children at all levels can 'enjoy and achieve', for example by designing an effective recycling scheme and learning about the properties of different materials while they sort them for recycling.” (RecycleNow Schools website).

Caleb Greenwood’s “Green” Committee would like to invite the Sacramento School Unified School District to improve efforts in making a change in how our schools can implement waste reduction and by doing so will “benefit by:

Reduced disposal costs.
Improved worker safety.
Reduced long-term liability.
Increased efficiency of school operations.
Decreased associated purchasing costs. (http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/ReduceWaste/Schools/#Why).

Finally, as the State’s California Recycle Program states “California school districts dispose of large amounts of waste (approximately 763,817 tons per year) [1]. These wastes represent a significant loss of natural resources and school district funds, as well as a potential threat to student/staff health and the environment. To be responsible stewards of environmental quality, school districts should review processes and operations, and even curriculum choices.” (www.calrecycle.ca.gov). Like the Caleb “Green Team” is doing, let all of us in the Sacramento Unified School District take small steps to help prove to be a successful program in forging a Waste Reduction Program.

Please join us in taking these steps. Please contact Caleb’s “Green Team” Committee Chair @ kjfelix73@hotmail.com or 916-595-5564.

Let’s make small steps together!

Sincerely,
Kim J. Felix

Email to School District Board....

Hi,
I am a parent @ Caleb Greenwood K-8 School in River Park. Our school has started a "Green Team" ; a committee of parents that hopes to enhance and inspire our students, staff, & families of helping the earth. Through beginning various projects such as a worm compost,, "Stewards of the Earth" (student/classroom recycling monitors, etc.), educational school-wide garden, waste-free lunch, and Earth Day projects, etc.

I noticed there is not a recycling committee for the our district and if there is one, there isn't a lot of publicity and/or efforts being made to enhance this VERY important curriculum throughout our schools in Sacramento.

I've attached a essay entitled "Small Steps" as a example of how we can improve efforts in reducing waste costs, improving student health (i.e. garden benefits=more veggies!), and overall impact on our environment. My dream would be to implement a program like the Davis Unified School District has so successfully done with their Farm to School Program and other "green" school wide activities taught in the classrooms.

Please contact me if you would like me to present a Resolution in support of these efforts at the next School Board meeting. I would offer my time and ideas/suggestions on how we can work together in making this happen. As the California Board of Waste Management (or Cal Recycle) states in their District Wide Approach to Recycling, "Because new equipment and technology do not save resources, people do! (CalRecycle.org)"

Sincerely,
Kim Felix
Parent/Committee Chair Caleb's "Green Team"
e: kjfelix73@hotmail.com
blog: http://calebgreenteam.blogspot.com/

1st Green Team Mtg. Summary

Caleb Green Team Meeting
1/13
Summary

Here is a list of the things to do, team member on project, dates/deadlines and “other” ideas @ our first meeting for 2010:

“Green Team” Mini-Presentation (Mission statement, goals, etc.) Kick off @ Compost School Assembly Wed. Feb 24th. Kim (due: Feb.24th)

School Wide Schedule for “Hands-on Composting” (I.e. weekly turning/watering for compost/ helping the worms). Kim (due: Feb. 17th)

Green Team fundraiser Project for GALA (Auction “Save the Earth” package :i.e. Student “Steward for the Earth”, Compost Bin, etc.) Angela (due: March 15th)

Publicity; Educating students, staff, families on our Mission and Goals as well as “green” projects/events coming up via flyers, weekly newsletter, posters, etc. Lisa B. (due: ONGOING, 1st memo for Jan. 18th?)

City of Sacramento 3 “R’s” classroom presentation/Doug Huston (Confirm dates/time April 1st/2nd?) Kim (due: Feb. 1st)

Ceramic “Earth” Pendants for Earth Week fundraiser (sales @ am, lunch, and after school?) Suzanne (due: April )

Save the Earth Poster Competition: Each student creates own poster on how they are/will help the earth, winner in every room (each winner is in drawing for prize), select winner for “Earth Day” logo for “reusable bags/t-shirts”(sale for fundraiser), hang posters in rooms, etc. Suzanne (due: April 12th)

Waste-Free Lunch Program ( Earth Week, “Gotcha being Good to the Earth” button/award for students helping the earth/lunch monitors, week long mini-presentations @ lunch on ways to be “Stewards for the Earth”, Waste Audit, etc.) Kim & Team (due: April)

Other:

Contact Mrs. K (counselor) on choosing “earth/green” words for the week in April. Kim
Contact Mrs. Brown to chose “Earth” songs for morning sing & lunch during Earth Week. Kim
Contact Lynette Nordstrom and/or Jen L. to get information on “Earth Day“ t-shirts/bags. Suzanne/Angela?
Plant Native plants/tree during Earth week (grant; Sac Valley CNPS) Kim
Recycling Bins in every room! Kim

Caleb's 1st "Green" Project: A Success!

So, I thought I start a small blog on our school's efforts to become more "Green" by educating students, staff, families, & our community.

Dec. 2009: Recycle "CD" Ornament Project. Grades K-5 made holiday ornaments out of "used" cd's. In each class a small presentation on the 3 "R's" were discusssed (i.e. Did you know that it takes 1 million years for a glass bottle to dscompose? Over billions of soda cans still get thrown away every year, etc.). Recycling logo was glued on "text side" of cd, and decorated w/glitter, stickers, etc. The ornaments were then sold for $1 each to raise money for our "Green Team" projects. We raised $196! Thank you.

Composting/Worm Assembly to be held on Feb. 24th @ Caleb Greenwood! Thanks to the folks @ the Worm Farm in Durham, CA.

First "Green Team" mtg. on Jan. 13th @ Tueplo Coffehouse, 6 p.m.