GUILFORD LAKES
GOES GREEN
Do you want to take action on climate change?
- inspire a new generation?
- help young people make changes for the future?
Guilford Lakes is proud to recycle the following:
All paper,
paperboard, cardboard (dumpster at school)
Plastics #1 and #2 (dumpster at school)
Plastics #3-#7 (brought to Bishop's Orchard for recycling in New Haven!
)
Used batteries (brought to the Guilford Transfer Station by Green Team)
Gluesticks, empty and clean (for Elmer's Glue Crew) http://www.elmersgluecrew.com/how.asp
Pop tabs from aluminum cans (for Ronald McDonald house charity) http://rmhc.org/
Cans with 5 cent deposits (money donated to the Green Team)
Juice pouches, empty and clean (Terracycle program, receive 2
cents each) http://www.terracycle.net/
Old cell phones, no charges or accessories & empty ink cartridges
http://www.americas-schools.org/programs/recycle/
Web Links:
Donate old computers
http://www.reconnectpartnership.com
Donate clothing, household and furniture
http://www.goodwill.org/page/guest/about/howweoperate/donations/dosanddonts
Check out this Cool and Informative slide show about bottled water and the effect it has on our planet!
Tropicana OJ will save 100 sq ft of rainforest for every product code entered into their web site by Dec 31, 2009. Please visit:
http://www.tropicanarainforest.com
to register and enter our school team name: GuilfordLakesSchool (no spaces) so we can see how many acres of rainforest Guilford Lakes saved!
Sign up for weekly Earth friendly ideas at:
http://earth911.com
Guilford Transfer Station Info and Hours:
http://www.ci.guilford.ct.us/Main%20Menu/refuse.htm
State of Connecticut-Environmental Websites for Students
http://www.ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?a=2691&q=322528&depNav_GID=1627
Sneakers, Tennis
shoes, washed (Nike Reuse A Shoe)
http://www.nikereuseashoe.com/
Bring gently worn shoes to Timberlands
in Westbrook:
http://www.soles4souls.org/about/locations.cgi?zip=06437
CRRA, Connecticut Resource Recovery Authority, is the company that handles Guilford's recycled items collected at our town's Transfer Station. Click the image below to read about the exciting new Single Stream Recycling!
Check out the image below to see what is being recycled from Guilford!
Our Mission Statement
“Going Green" is no longer just a slogan for many families, it's becoming an imperative. That’s why a group of mothers have gotten together to bring our concern and look for a solution on how our school can become environmentally friendly.
The Green Team is a “Lakes” community devoted to addressing the earth’s most urgent environmental problems and contributing to a sustainable future for our planet by starting locally with each child, each teacher, each family; who will not only help them become environmentally compliant, but who are conscientious themselves.
By providing and sharing comprehensive and current information on different green issues, The Green Team aims to increase awareness and encourage participation in order to seek real solutions to the rapidly growing environmental challenges of our generation.
We teach the children to improve the environment in their own classroom by talking of how, what they do now will impact their future, by teaching them to recycle, in their own classrooms, plastic, paper and other items according to the Town Ordinances and then go home and teach their parents and siblings that we, as a community are working for a safer, cleaner local environment.
The Green Team is the core of the teaching of our community. The Guilford Lakes Green Team consist of students, teachers, janitors, facilities managers, parents and school board members. Parent, teacher and student involvement in the committee is essential. This group can be charged with coordinating many of the greening activities, making recommendations to relevant school decision-makers, and facilitate communication among and actions by the whole school community.
The school and the Green Team can work with local organizations, businesses, or other resource people or experts. These efforts can be fun and really help educate the school community about the health and environmental impacts of the school.
These efforts can help us to identify priorities of the key areas where we want to make change and create an action plan. We will set realistic and achievable targets to improve environmental performance at the school so kids and adults can take pride in tangible accomplishments in the short term.
At the same time, we will set long-term, inspiring and challenging targets to move beyond the status quo and foster greater environmental improvements in all the school districts and even the town of Guilford. The action plan could involve and promote, for example, a school recycling program; eco-friendly, non-toxic cleaning materials; carpooling; energy conservation like turning off lights, computer monitors and printers; or a school garden.
Green Schools are also encouraged to consider the wider community when preparing action plans - for example, get involved with clean-up or habitat restoration at nearby parks or share their experiences in other ways. A communication and publicity program keeps the school and the community informed of progress through classroom displays, school assemblies, newsletters, or other press coverage. Annual Earth Day celebrations - organized around April 20 - can offer an opportunity to showcase actions taken by the school and bring together the school and wider community.
Adapted from The “7 Steps to Green Your School”
Global Warming
Global warming is the name given by scientists for the gradual increase in temperature of the Earth's surface that has worsened since the industrial revolution.
If we continue our careless way of living, rising global temperatures will cause sea level to rise and alter local climate conditions, affecting forests, crop yields, and water supplies. It may also affect human health, animals, and many types of ecosystems. Deserts may expand and some of our countryside may be permanently altered.
What can we, as members of the GLS student body, residents of Guilford and citizens of Planet Earth do?
If we work together we can find out how to minimize our impact by recognizing how our personal “carbon footprint” impact global warming.
Our Carbon Footprint, What Is It?
A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact our activities have on the environment, and in particular climate change. It relates to the amount of greenhouse gases produced in our day-to-day lives through burning fossil fuels for electricity, heating and transportation, etc. Did you know... Electricity is one of the biggest producers of carbon emissions, so every time you make a coffee or turn the television on you are adding to global warming. So, don’t forget to participate in Turn Off TV week and unplug when you are done.
We need to lead the way. If the children are our future, then the future could be a scary thing to behold. As parents and mentors, it’s our responsibility to educate them about the world and their responsibility for it. Although it’s important to teach kids about saving the planet as a whole, it’s easiest to show them how by the little things that can be done every day at home and in their classroom to help with the environment. Here are some ideas.
- Purchase a reusable lunch box or bag instead of using disposable lunch sacks. It not only saves money but also significantly reduces waste going to landfills.
- Buy reusable containers for sandwiches and snacks, rather than individual bags.
- Purchase recycled paper – then try to use both sides to reduce waste even further.
- Reuse last year’s plastic art or pencil box by decorating it with fabric paint and creating an all-new look and design.
- Try to buy water-based paints and soy-based crayons, which are better for the environment than oil-based products.
- Purchase a reusable drink container for your drinks rather than continually buying individual drink boxes.
- Buy in bulk and avoid individually prepackaged items.
- Teach them to turn off the faucet as soon as they’re done and using a pencil thin stream of water.
- It’s amazing how much paper one child can bring home from school in a given week. Pile these announcements, assignments and miscellaneous stuff up with your daily mail, magazines and newspapers.
- Turn off the lights! the importance of conserving energy has to be a priority in the home, so remind them whenever you find that someone has left a light on after leaving the room.
- The best thing a parent can do is to lead by example! If you recycle your kids will recycle. Talking to your kids is the probably the most important thing you can do to raise their awareness about the environment.
- When you take your own canvas bags to the grocery stores your children will see that’s the way it’s supposed to be done”.
- Teach them the importance of cutting down on carbon emissions by not using the car everyday, or have your child ride the school bus if one is offered. Get together with other parents to carpool to school activities.
- Turn bath time into shower time as a bath typically uses about 50 gallons of water per bath and don’t forget to tell them to turn off the water when brushing their teeth.
Children are fast learners so if we set a good example for our children now, who knows what our future will look like tomorrow!
Adapted with permission from How to teach your Kids to be Green, by Acadia Maximo