Reading, Riding and Retrofit Green Team Micro-Grant
 
 
Sponsors:        Land-of-Sky Regional Council and US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
 
Purpose:         The purpose of this grant is to fund environmental leadership projects, which can demonstrate environmental benefits - specifically school-level strategies that provide measurable greenhouse gas reductions.  Funded projects will be expected to have a community outreach component.

 

NOTE – The projects must be undertaken and completed by a school-level “Green Team” that consists of students and teacher(s); the team may also include parents and other school staff.

  

Eligibility:         K-12 teacher within Buncombe County School System
 
Max Grant:      $500.00

 

Possible Areas for Funding:

  • In general, grant funds may be used for those things needed to complete the project, including but not limited to educational materials, supplies and tools/equipment.
  • Projects may relate to and complement facilities projects which improve energy efficiency and/or reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

 

Examples of Projects: (you may choose one of these or develop your own)

  • Energy or water use audit – students choose what to audit, identify how to measure use and changes in use, take measurements over a defined period of time, report the results, translate the results to units of greenhouse gases, study ways to reduce use and prepare school and community outreach materials to convey what they have learned.
  • Home Energy Audits – students learn how to conduct home energy audits along with issues related to home energy use, then perform audits and share results with classmates and school; study and develop recommendations on ways to use less energy and improve energy efficiency at home.
  • Campaign to turn off lights and electric devices – students learn about the benefits, including cost savings and greenhouse gas emissions, of reducing electricity use and develop materials to teach others at school and home about these things and to promote turning things off.  This project could also include measuring electricity use at the beginning of the project and again after the campaign has been implemented.  
  • Recycling improvement and outreach - develop and deploy outreach materials about why recycling is important to the economy, the community and the environment, and measure changes in the amount of materials recycled (see last page for more details);
  • Recycling challenge - develop a school challenge to reward the classroom with the highest recycling rates; this includes measuring and monitoring the amount of recycled materials from each classroom, developing outreach materials describing the challenge and the benefits of recycling.
  • Transportation studies – a couple ideas

o   Study how many students are dropped off and picked up each day and how many cars are involved in these activities; find out how many miles each student travels each day in a car to school and calculate the approximate amount of gasoline used and related greenhouse gas emissions for these trips. Develop recommendations to reduce the number of cars and amount of miles driven and share this information with fellow students, teachers, parents and staff.

o   Identify the main transportation-related issues at your school (e.g., traffic-related issues, safety issues, air pollution, long bus rides, etc.) – think about the different ways students can get to/from school (ride the school/city bus, walk, ride in a car, ride a bicycle) and what changes could be made to improve one or more of these ways.  Research the costs and benefits of these changes in terms of energy use and greenhouse gas savings, as well as other benefits (like increased physical activity and connection of neighborhoods to schools).  Share your results with the rest of the school. 

  • Cafeteria waste study – examine the waste from the school cafeteria (what types of waste, how much of each type, where does the waste go, why are certain things wasted, etc.) and research and develop strategies to recommend to staff and others that will reduce waste or change the “waste stream.”

Recycling-related Green Team Ideas

 

Recommended Green Team Recycling Goals

Based on previous experience working with Recycling Coordinators at each school, these are a few goals Green Teams may consider as they develop their work plan.  

  • Inform students, teachers, and staff how to participate in the recycling program available within the school.
  • Educate students, teachers and staff why recycling is important today: for the economy, the community and for the environment.
  • Increase recycling program participation and recovery rates.
  • Reinvigorate interest in the recycling program school-wide.

 Recommended Green Team Scope of Work

Coordinating activities –

o   Inform teachers, custodian, cafeteria manager and principal about the recycling program and how it works.

o   Find out from these people how recycling is currently working in your school – who is collecting it and who is responsible for getting it to the collection point outside of school.

o   Recruit additional volunteers to the recycling collection team: Make flyers and announcements to meet you on a date/time for recycling collection on a weekly basis.

Outreach activities –

o   Talk to the person who does morning announcements; see if you can get a recycling fact per week (or per day!) announced.

o   Talk to the folks who do the school newspaper – see if you can put in a small graphic ad (like the posters in the Banned Materials folder) or recycling fact corner in newsletter.

o   Put up posters (available through LOSRC).

o   Print out bin signs and hand them out for teachers to put on their bins.

o   Print out “ACS Recycles” instructions and place that in teachers’ mailboxes.

o   Talk about the recycling program at staff meetings.

 

 

Resources for recycling:
Questions: