NATIONAL NEWS
April 22, 2008
Going Green, One School at a Time
Kids in Oakland, California, do their part for the Earth
What does "go green" mean to you? Does it mean wearing a green t-shirt? Or does it mean actually reducing your "carbon footprint," the amount of resources that you use? The kids and teachers at Head Royce School, in Oakland, California, choose to reduce the mark they leave on the environment by cutting back on their greenhouse-gas emissions.
 |  COURTESY SADE KAMMEN The school has solar panels on the gym roof. |
A green business is a company that meets a set of clean energy standards, and is able to reduce waste and water consumption. Head Royce School went green by installing 412 solar panels on the roof of their gym. The panels reduce the school use of electricity by 35%.
The idea to go green started in October 2006, when the student head of the school's Environmental Club invited a member of the Green Schools Initiative to speak at the school. Soon after, the students watched a screening of the former Vice President Al Gore's documentary, An Inconvenient Truth. The film inspired many students and teachers to go green at home and at school.
Making a DifferenceIn the fall of 2006, the school embarked on a community-wide campaign and adopted a new mission: "To provide a healthy environment for students and staff while promoting ecological sustainability."
First, students raised awareness throughout the school community about how much energy they were using and how much trash was being thrown away. Everyone joined in the trash audit, which means that the amount of trash was counted. Students in kindergarten all the way to fifth grades found out that they created 100 pounds of trash a day. Kids in the upper grades were able to reduce their trash to 50 pounds per day. "I liked helping the community and the environment during the trash audit," kindergartener Keiley Thompson, told TFK.
 COURTESY SADE KAMMEN Kids at the Head Royce school use lemons grown on the grounds of their green school to make lemonade. | |
The school also raised knowledge throughout the community of how much trash people were making. Before the audit, the school produced 75,000 pounds of trash a year. It was able to lower that to 37,500 pounds a year. The school also began composting trash to reuse as fertilizer. Now, Head Royce School uses less water on the lawns; new toilets use less water. These savings allowed the school to become a certified green business. Principal Paul Chapman says the school went green because "it was the right thing to do."
There are only two other certified green schools in Alameda County, California, Park Day, and Berkwood Hedge. The kids and teachers at these schools were able to go green. You should consider going green too!
