Many of us recently chuckled when headlines misleadingly declared that Congress approved pizza as a vegetable. “Politics!” we thought and returned to mulling over how to encourage the best and brightest students to engage in STEM education. It turns out that a select group of STEM educators may have digested that news very differently. The green school movement considers student health and well being critical to producing a well-trained STEM workforce.
At one time, the term “green school” referred to the goal of making the school building energy efficient, comfortable, and perhaps minimally detrimental to the local environment. Today, the green school educators focus on student and community. In February, Denver will host the second national Green Schools National Conference. The 2012 program addresses five strands:
Strand 1: Curriculum that Advances Environmental Literacy and Sustainability
Strand 2: Stewardship and Service Learning
Strand 3: Facilities Design & Management
Strand 4: Health & Well Being
Strand 5: Strong Partnerships & Networks
Creating and maintaining energy efficient school buildings is only a lesson in a larger unit of study. The green school effort seeks to prepare a generation of students to meet current and future challenges of sustainability and environmental stewardship at every level, local to global. Green school advocates recognize the value and importance of work in targeted areas such as energy efficiency, water quality, or waste removal. Yet, they argue that for K-12 education, best practices combine these fields of study to engage, inspire, and educate the whole child. According to the Green Education Foundation (GEF):
The integrated approach necessary for sustainability education must be based on systems thinking. A systems viewpoint requires that we assess ecological risks, as well as policies and efforts to mitigate those risks, in terms of their broader economic and social implications. This is the triple bottom line of sustainability. This approach demands that we consider the interconnected aspects of all threats to global sustainability. — Victoria Waters, CEO and Founder of GEF
Additionally, green school educators recognize the value of STEM to sustainability education. Again, GEF states:
Sustainability offers a concrete and pressing array of challenges in which to ground the abstract and technical concepts and methods in STEM and civics courses. — GEF, on-line course content.
According to Jim McGrath, executive director of the Green Schools National Network, interest in greening schools increases annually. McGrath conservatively estimates that over 1000 schools have implemented steps to achieve Green Ribbon status. Green Ribbon Schools, a relatively new U.S. Department of Education classification, meet criteria for energy efficiency, sustainability, environmental education, health, and community engagement. To facilitate the greening process, the Green Schools National Network creates state level hubs designed to coordinate, consolidate resources, and provide support to schools engaged in the “greening” process. Most schools take anywhere from 3-5 years to reach minimum standards in the areas of facilities, education, health, and community.
Although McGrath believes that all schools can and should achieve Green Ribbon status, he recognizes that it takes time. Two key characteristics that improve success and shorten the path toward sustainability include existing emphasis on STEM and building autonomy. Schools with strong STEM programs naturally gravitate toward green school efforts due to shared appreciation for integrated and cross-disciplinary approaches to learning and teaching. Charter and magnet schools may rapidly transition to green schools programs in response to community needs and due in part to flexible, site-based leadership.
One never knows what to expect when turning over a rock. Even so, I was surprised to find much effort of green schools dedicated to improving the quality of food and food service at the school and district level. Beth Collins, executive director of the Boulder based, Food Family Farming Foundation, works locally and nationally to improve food service programs. In addition to reducing reliance on processed foods, Collins and her staff spend much of their time educating cafeteria staff and the community about all aspects of food from production on the farm through waste collection and disposal. Like McGrath, Collins notes that it takes several years for schools to reap the benefits a green food services initiative. Collins believes benefits are well worth the effort. Students receive quality and healthy food necessary to function well in any and especially the learning environment, schools reduce reliance on packaged and processed foods, chemicals, and waste management. Additionally, local food producers often develop mutually beneficial relationships with schools and districts.
Extensive resources along the Front Range make Denver an obvious site for the annual Green School National Conference. Locally, we have access to internationally recognized research facilities and think tanks such as the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the Rocky Mountain Institute as well as workforce organizations like the Boulder Green Building Guild. Boulder is also home to education leaders such Ghita Carroll, Sustainability Coordinator, for Boulder Valley School District and Katie Navin, Executive Director, of the Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education.
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