Idea Box

Last Updated: March 25, 2010

This post is a list of ideas for activities currently being considered by the WES Green Club. Check out these ideas and leave a comment to let us know what you think. Please share any ideas for activities that you might have as well. New posts are noted in GREEN.


Recycling

1. Recycle #5 plastic bottle caps.
2. Recycle sneakers.
3. Recycle Crocs.
4. Recycle jeans.
5. Recycle clothing. April 2010
6. Recycle Polar Fleece.
7. Recycle tennis balls
8. Recycle crayons.
9. Recycle juice cartons. Read about our experience.
10. Recycle thumb drives.
11. Recycle cell phones.
12. Recycle small electronics devices (PDAs, Blackberries, digital cameras, MP3 Players)
13. Recycle household keys at local scrap metal shop.
14. Purchase recycling stations to be used at school events (Spring Carnival, class picnics, etc).
15. Recycling stations loaned by CVWMA for events. Read about our experience.
16. Recycle Scotch tape dispensers.

Fundraisers

1. Reusable grocery bags. Read about our experience.
2. T-shirts. Read about our experience.
3. Recycled clothing drive.
4. Home improvement kits (CFLs, low-flow conversion kits, etc)
5. Basket of "green goods" (CFLs, recycled products, etc) for silent auction.
6. Solicit donations from companies that produce green products.
7. Partner with local businesses to reduce production costs.
8. Sell items through Cafe Press.
9. Apply for grants. (Stonyfield Yogurt - Profits for the Planet)

Morning Meetings
Meet in October, November, February, April/May. Meeting are open to all students. Seminar format works best for crowd control. Parents can stay, but siblings are not allowed. This needs to be explained when the meeting is announced. K-2 would meet and 3-5 would meet. Here are some possible activites:

1. Talk about blog. Student contributions. Show how to leave comments. (3-5)
2. Friends of Chesterfield Riverfront speaker. (K-5)
3. CCPS Energy Manager speaker - Joe Lenzi. (K-5)
4. Create a green tree where each child writes something they do to protect the earth on a leaf.
5. Create folders from cereal boxes.

Student Activities

1. Students can contribute articles to the blog. Students can participate in open discussion by leaving comments. Get feed back on activities they're interested in.
2. Students can contribute drawings to be posted on the blog.
3. Contest to create Woolridge Green Club mascot.
4. Have students prepare reports, give presentations, write letters to school board and local government.
5. Create "news videos" about green topics/events at school and post videos on web site.
6. Make presentation to school board about going green.
7. Plant trees on Arbor Day. Join Arbor Day Foundation and get 10 free trees.
8. Ride bus/ride bike/walk to school day. Encourage parents to not drive their kids to school.
9. DIY paper recycling.
10. Contest for "Green Classroom of the Month". Read about our experience.
11. Students carry the trash they generate with them in a plastic bag. The trash is analyzed at the end of the day to identify things that could have been recycled. It also helps the students realize how much trash a person generates each day.
12. Storm Water marking - We would get a list of storm drains that need marking in our neighborhoods (ie, Woodlake, Foxes). Kids would go out and put on the stickers. Parents would need to be in attendance too.
13. Have a photo contest of landscapes or scenic sites.
14. Check out the air in your school. Spread a thin layer of vaseline on several pieces of cardboard or white posterboard. Then place the cardboard in various locations of your school (near the front door, the cafeteria or loading dock, out in the playground, etc.). Leave them for a week. Then collect them and bring them back to your classroom. See what they collected and compare the different locations by looking at the particles under a microscope or through a magnifying glass.
15. Student volunteers from each classroom transport recycle bins to cafeteria and deposit contents into larger bin for proper disposal by custodian.
16. Parent and student volunteers assist in cleaning juice pouches for TerraCycle on "Friday Recycling".
17. Adopt a Spot trash pick up day.

Cafeteria

1. Waste-free Wednesdays - Encourage students to bring their lunch to school with reusable/recyclable packaging. Students who participate get their picture taken and posted on the blog.
2. Build a mobile recycling station.
3. Collect unused food and donate to local food pantry.
4. Collect compost.
5. Have lunch monitors make announcements reminding kids to properly dispose of recyclables.
6. Recycle #5 plastic bottle caps.
7. Use cafeteria bulletin board as a communication tool.
8. Look into alternatives to using styrofoam trays.
   

Waste Reduction

1. Waste-free Wednesdays - Encourage students to bring their lunch to school with reusable/recyclable packaging. Students who participate get their picture taken and posted on the blog.
2. Place "These Come From Trees" stickers on paper towel dispensers in bathrooms.

Reuse

1. Collect gently used office supplies (pens, pencils, crayons, etc) to be donate to our sister school - Beulah Elementary School.
2. Collect hair for oil spill mats.
3. Recycled book drive.
4. Collect wire hangers and return them to dry cleaners.
5. Donate unused pet toys to Richmond SPCA.
6. Donate eye glasses.

Wildlife Conservation

1. Raise trout eggs in classroom and release to the wild.
2. Participate in Animal Appreciation Week at Maymont.
3. Adopt an endangered animal.
4. Build bird houses and bat houses.

Paper

1. Use FSC certified paper.
2. Purchase paper with recycled content.
3. Make 2-sided printing the default setting for printers and copiers.
4. Encourage e-mail/internet for announcements in lieu of paper notes.

Lighting/Computers/Electronics

1. Stickers for light switch covers reminding to turn the lights off.
2. Set computers to sleep mode.
3. Switch all incandescents to CFLs.

Energy Audit

1. Institute this program as part of the gifted program.
2. Meet to develop a "plan". Learn about the source of energy (probably electric, not gas). Get energy bills for the school.
3. Go on a classroom audit. Look at temperature settings, how lights are used, types of light bulbs, how computers are used.
4. Interview staff to determine lighting habits.
5. Interview cafeteria workers about appliances and how hot water is used.
6. Meet again to discuss results and ideas on how to improve. Many of these audit checklists will tell the kids what to look for AND then tell them suggestions how to fix it.
7. Prepare a list of recommendations and present to staff and higher ups.
8. Determine how school maintenance budget works.

Other

1. Encourage parents to volunteer with Green Club by providing sign up sheets at orientation.
2. Include green tips and Green Club news in PTA newsletter.
3. Encourage students riding bus to school in lieu of driving.
4. Institute "no-idling" policy for cars and buses.
5. Promote green chemicals for janitor and kitchen.
6. Green classroom of the month. Purchase trophy. Award trophy every month.
7. Partner with other schools for various activities and meetings.
8. Place posters in hallways advertising the green club.
9. Participate in an awards program such as Virginia Naturally.
10. Publicize green club activities/news in local news media.