Friday, March 7, 2008

Pre-School Environmentalism

Yes, I admit it. I am a recycling freak. It drives me insane when I see a can or a bottle or other recyclable in the "regular" trash. Last weekend, Boy #1's cooperative preschool had an open house and sold soda by the can. There were a ton of empties around, but they just got stuck in the regular trash. I didn't notice it until we were about to leave, but it drove me nuts. I think next time I'll offer to provide a recycling bin and take the empties home for curbside recycling.

They also use bleach-based and lysol and other chemical nastiness for daily cleaning. Now we'll use bleach on rare occasion if necessary, and there are a few "regular" cleaning products that we haven't yet been able to replace- like the Swiffer Wet Jet. But for the most part we use Seventh Generation and Method products around the house. I used to be a big fan of bleach, but now I think it's just not necessary 95% of the time. One of the other moms (the other lesbian moms, in fact) bring their own cleaner. I think I might do the same- although the other parents may think we're part of some weird lesbian Seventh Generation cleaning cult. Being new to the school, I anticipate (or hope) that I will learn more about the planet-friendly tings the school does do...

So what do some other local schools do to be more environmentally friendly?
  • The Friends Community School- used to be right up the street, but just moved to a brand new environmentally friendly, LEED certified straw-bale building.
  • The Burgandy Farms Day School- has a bunch of environmental education programs, including a West Virginia Campus for outdoor education, as well as in-school environmentally-friendly programs, like "waste-free" lunch requirements (all lunches brought to school must not generate any waste- have reusable napkin, etc etc)
  • Often through parent- or teacher-led initiatives, more schools are seeking recognition under the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education Green Schools Program which requires modeling of good practices among other things,
Best additional resources for greener schools:

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