TUFSD Go Green

Mark White, Maribel Oliva, Meredith Thomas and Meghan Fitzgerald represented the TUFSD Green Committee at the Village Eco-Fair on Saturday, Sept. 12th.   While manning our booth, the four talked with a range of community members, including parents, kids, members of local press and neighbors not directly associated with our schools. Everyone was excited about our plans and several folks took flyers about our upcoming events and/or pledged to follow us online.  The team was also very lucky to be positioned right between the TEAC (www.tarrytownenvironmental.org) and the new Sleepy Hollow Village Environmental Advisory group.  We were able to chat throughout the day and look forward to working with both groups more closely than ever this year! Thanks to all community members who visited with us at the Eco Fair!

Green Committee Goals, 2009-2010

• Continue to improve practices and measure our ability to reduce, reuse, recycle paper & energy
• Engage K-12 kids & staff in a range of key topics related to environmental sustainability
• Communicate out our efforts to the community & connect with community organizations

Monthly Themes & Activities

To help coordinate efforts K-12 and ensure that we hit a range of key topics, we established monthly themes.  At each building, staff and/or environmental clubs will participate in age appropriate activities within the theme.  To follow the work done at each building, visit our Go Green blog (www.tufsdblogs.org/gogreen).

If you have ideas or feedback anytime, email us at greencommittee@tufsd.org!

 SEPTEMBER: Raise Awareness & Catalyze Change

Key Activities:

• All students and faculty will take a Go Green Pledge
• Green Committee contest for student-designed Green Committee logo (open to kids K-12 with winners at each major grade level)
• Student Clubs Start
• Grand re-opening of the WI Greenhouse

 OCTOBER: Clean Up, Stop Littering & Fall Planting

Key Activities:

• Gently Used Clothing Sale & Electronics Recycling (Sat, Oct 17^th)
• Students explore the impact of littering and trash
• Clean Up District-Wide (Week of Oct 19^th)
• Fall Planting (bulbs at SHMS)
• Announce logo contest winner (order bags and bottles)

 NOVEMBER: Harvest & Focus on Responsible Use/Minimal Waste

Key Activities:

• Contest (Staff): Paper Use Challenge
• Contest (Students): Reuse a common object that would otherwise be trash (contest available to kids at all grade levels)

 DECEMBER: Energy Use

Key Activities:

• Learn about heat conservation and energy billing
• Get a baseline of electricity used at each building
• Fundraise: Sell reusable water bottles, coffee mugs (connect to coffee labs) and reusable shopping bags with student logo on them

 JANUARY: Global Climate Change & Recommit [Energy Challenge]

Key Activities:

• Brainstorm ways to save energy
• Energy Challenge: Reward the school that saves the most energy per student in one week

 FEBRUARY: Love the Earth & Environmental Leaders

Key Activities:

• Study men, women and kids who are leaders in environmental change
• Develop community projects to help students become leaders in local environmental change

 MARCH: Water

 APRIL: GREEN WEEK/EARTH DAY

Key Activities:

• Green Week (4/19-4/23)
• TEAC CleanUp Saturday, 4/23

 MAY: Planting & Gardening Projects

Key Activities:

• Spring planting projects at all buildings
• Gently Used Clothing Sale & Electronics Recycling (Sat, April 23^rd)

 JUNE: Reflection & Summer Pledge

Sign up for the GREEN COMMITTEE ELEMENTARY “ONLINE FLYERS” EMAIL PROGRAM!

CLICK HERE to sign up for the program.

HAGA CLIC para inscribirse para el Programa de Avisos/Propagandas en línea en la escuela de sus niños.

If you have any trouble using the links above, enter the following address into your browser:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=g0A_2f5l_2b2Vjt6m8nOj3pxiA_3d_3d

The Green Committee members have been working to reflect on our progress and revise our goals for the 2009-2010 school year.  Stay tuned, as the committee looks forward to sharing them with the community.  If you have any suggestions, please email them to greencommittee@tufsd.org or comment on this or any post on this blog!

Green Week (April 20-25) was a big SUCCESS across the district.  Students, staff and families participated in events that celebrated our environmental treasures, raised awareness about key environmental issues, and gave members of our community meaningful ways to start making a difference.  To read about the events of Green Week, go to our Green Week, 2009 page or click here.

Downloadable Flyers:

recycling_day_flyer2

recycling_day_flyer2_esp

Visit Survey Monkey to take our SPRING, 2009 PARENT SURVEY

Here are ways that the TUFSD staff suggest we can all reduce the environmental impact of our commutes to and from work and school.  Please comment to add more!

REDUCE YOUR COMMUTE TIPS:
* Ride your bike (even it it’s long…it’s Earth Day, right?!)
* Take the bus
* Drive with another person as a car pool (and it doesn’t have to be a TUFSD staff member, just someone who is travelling this way..)
* Take the train that comes to Tarrytown/Sleepy Hollow
* Park and take the bus from Nyack over the bridge to the Tarrytown Train station
* Make sure the tire pressure is correct on yoru car and get the tires realigned to lower friction and drag on the car.
* Drive with the windows “UP!”…The windows open creates major drag that actually slows the car down and causes more fuel to be used.
*Take all unnecessary items out of the car to lower the weight. A lighter car means less energy needed to move it…That means, GET THE JUNK OUT OF THE TRUNK!
* Hug a tree when arriving at work. A happy tree makes more oxygen and does more photosynthesis (Not scientifically proven but seems logical…a 7th grade student would believe it)
*Offset your carbon footprint by landscapping at your house. More trees in your personal yard means you offset your driving even more)

The Green Committee Delivered the following challenge to all staff:

Next Wednesday, April 22nd, is Earth Day. In honor of Earth day, we will run a REDUCE YOUR COMMUTE CHALLENGE.

Here’s how it works…

Anyone who reduces the carbon footprint of his or her commute next Wednesday, shall enjoy the following…
* The chance to DRESS DOWN that day
* Glory and honor in the eyes of all who love the planet
* The chance to enter a raffle for a Goodie Bag (reusable, of course) filled with GREEN TREATS and local delicacies

Ultimately, we hope that this may help some staff members make lasting changes in their behavior that could add up to large scale savings to the purse and the planet!

Daffodil planted by SHMS!

Ms. Linteau

On Tuesday, March 31, 2009 Mrs. Linteau’s English class and Mrs. Randazzo, went outside to visit the daffodils that were planted this past fall.  Initially, during the fall, students were given a lesson in metaphor that was twofold: first, students were to understand that beautifying nature should be appreciated and savored; secondly, students were to understand that protecting our earth is an investment in our future.  The growth of the daffodils is proof that our investment has paid off!  

Our next step was a lesson in external conflict.  Students are creating characters for their action/adventure pieces that will endure external conflict.  Our daffodils were the perfect examples to survey.  Not only has weather been a factor, but so has pollution.  In order to stop this immediately, students were ready and willing to go and pick up debris and waste that lay nearby their beautiful daffodils.  Also, each and every student committed not to throw trash on the ground.  All students agree that our earth is naturally beautiful and waste should be placed in the proper receptacles to be dealt with properly and efficiently.

 Thanks to Mrs. Randazzo for her great ideas and materials!  We’ll let you know what pops up next in SHMS!