Teachers Benefit Teachers can cover several bases with Cool School Challenge.
It’s solid inquiry-based learning, with interdisciplinary real-world applications in science, math, and social studies. Activities are also aligned to national science standards. Language arts and graphics can also be valuable elements. Teachers can encour- age student leadership skills as the students take action. Or students can
take the initiative to engage their teachers. After school programs and environmental clubs can also be a good place to start the process.
Students Benefit Students benefit
from real-world ap- plications of science and math as they make a positive impact on the most significant environmental threat of our time. They explore systems thinking, work collaboratively in teams, and gain a sense of empowerment from the very real progress they make. Students have the unusual opportunity to be respected as knowledgeable, contributing citizens now, not later when they ‘grow up.’ They may even gain insights into potential ‘green jobs’ and
careers in the new economy. Some high school students expand their new skills into the local community to assist businesses and nearby offices (see ECO-Audit on page xx). The students’ experi- ence with these audits translates into life-long awareness of the effects of the energy, waste and transportation choices they make.
“It’s really fun and it does a lot to help save the environment,” said a 4th
grader from Artondale Elementary in Gig Harbor, WA. “Before the Cool School Challenge I had no interest in the
environment. I wanted to probably go into teaching. But now I’m probably going to go into environmental sciences for studying. I want to study abroad and see what other countries are doing. I’m excited,” said Amanda, a 12th
grade student at Mountlake High
School in Mountlake Terrace, WA. “I found myself applying what I learned in the Cool School
Challenge to everyday life. In my house I’m like ‘this doesn’t need to be on.’ In my work I turn off the computer monitors. It started out I wanted to save energy costs, but in doing that I’m also saving carbon dioxide emissions. Doing that is reducing global warming which is effecting the whole world. So I’m a lot more aware of what I’m doing in life.” Megan, 12the grader, Mountlake Terrace High School As students mobilize at their schools, a new generation of
leaders will grow to actively participate in the global transforma- tion needed to help slow climate change and grow a new green economy.
CLEARING 2010
Go
towww.coolschoolchallenge.org to learn more about the program and how to get your school involved.
The Cool School Challenge is a program of the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency. Program partners include Washington Department of Ecol- ogy, Northwest Clean Air Agency and RE Sources for Sustainable Communities. Program materials include an online Classroom Toolkit, Classroom Carbon Calculator, promotional tools for schools, and regional teacher training workshops to introduce the program into schools.
ECOaudit USA Aligns with Cool School Challenge to create
sustainable communities By Mary Daniels
S
tudents are eager to apply skills learned in the classroom in a real world setting through community service learn- ing projects. The students enjoy it even more when they become the “teacher”.
There are many environmental educational programs that engage students in their community. However, there are two separate but similar programs for third grade through college age students that are collaborating to bring sustainable educa- tion into the community using the students as the “teacher”. The first program, called Cool School Challenge (CSC), is a climate education program designed for students from third grade through high school. In this program, students learn to conduct a “carbon” audit of their classrooms and make recom- mendations to help their school shrink its carbon footprint. Recommendations typically include energy efficiency or con- servation measures, improving (or launching) school recycling programs, or starting a No Idle Zone program. Participating students engage the school staff and classmates to do their part; and once the school realizes the economic benefits of conserva- tion, the students win over many converts.
When the students taste this kind of success, some of them want to take it a step further and get out into the community. This is where another sustainable education program for high school through college age students comes into play. This pro- gram is called ECOoffice, which is managed by ECOaudit USA and supported by Urban Green, their 501 C3. High school students who have participated in the Cool School Challenge Program, are well equipped to participate in the ECOoffice program. The students have already learned sustainable concepts with the Cool School Challenge and are ready to share what they know with members of their local com- munity.
ECOoffice is similar to Cool School Challenge except, in- stead of auditing classrooms, it is a community service learning program for students who work directly with local businesses to conduct a basic carbon footprint analysis. From this analysis, the students prepare a report that includes (scores) and recom- mendations of affordable, achievable actions a company can take to reduce energy consumption, save office resources and lower operating costs.
www.clearingmagazine.org/online
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