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Our Kindergartners preparing to jog

Each year, our small school of 300 children (K-12) holds an annual Jog-a-Thon.  Like many schools, this is typically our largest fundraiser.  This year, the date of our Jog-a-Thon was close to Earth Day, so we decided to integrate Earth Day into our event.  On a seperate note, I had been suggesting that a larger recycling program take place at school and offered to get it off the ground.  All the while, I had been "Googling" like crazy to get ideas on ways to implement a plan.  I was very excited when I found out that Treepeople (in the San Fernando Valley) and the Los Angeles Dept of Public Works had come up with a way to engage schools in diverting trash from our landfills.  The website I had found was called Generation Earth (www.generationearth.com) and it is an environmental education program providing development training and personalized support to secondary school teachers and students in Los Angeles County. They encourage and assist those who want to make a difference in their local environment through campus and community eco-projects.  Their own project is called "Battle of the Schools"...a Los Angeles County-wide competition for middle schools and high schools to see which school can divert the most trash per student (recycle).  Mathew Palmer, Program Coordinator at Treepeople, was a wealth of information for getting our recycling drive off the ground (and keeping it out of the ground:)!

I got the go ahead for our recycling drive and it took place for two weeks prior to Earth Day.  We aptly named our Jog-a-Thon "Green Run 2008".  While a few stellar, high school boys took time out of PE class to sort through yucky recycling, our 3rd, 4th and 5th graders created thank you banners for our partners and sponsors, to be displayed during our Green Run (Trader Joe's, Generation Earth, LA Marathon, etc).   It was a schoolwide (K-12) effort and our "Green Run" day was the perfect culmination for the "Battle of the Schools" recycling drive.  Some of the teachers even coordinated earth-care lessons and art projects to coincide with the competition and Green Run fundraiser.   Not only did our recycling efforts divert trash in the landfills and bring in extra money, we actually won the competition!

If you live in Los Angeles, check out Generation Earth's Battle of the Schools (www.generationearth.com) and enter your school next year!  It was a great way to teach kids about the importance of recycling, while promoting environmental stewardship at school and within your community.

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Parent Comments on "Earth Friendly Jog-A-Thon and Recycling Drive"

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TNTsmom
TNTsmom March 15, 2009
Re: Earth Friendly Jog-A-Thon and Recycling Drive
Hi Andria -
I would look into starting a recycling program at your school and turn the used bottles and cans into needed funds by bringing them to a recycling center (hopefully there is one somewhere nearby your school). I would also see if the school board is willing to dedicate an area on the school grounds for an edible garden. If it is large enough area, you may want to see if the school can use what is grown for the lunch program. I would even check with a local nursery to see if they'd be willing to make a donation of a fruit tree/veggie seeds/soil, etc. In turn, you can thank them by letting them advertise their business at your school for free and make them a "partner" in your "going green" efforts. Planting an edible garden is a great tool for teaching middle schoolers as well. Not only can it be an earth science project, it teaches them patience and care. If you have a kitchen on premises at your school, you could even have the kids participate in preparing a meal for the teachers with the produce that was grown.

I hope some of these ideas help and I with you the best
in your efforts to green your school!

Diane
mm_menke
mm_menke March 15, 2009
andria's question
hello, i too am a middle school teacher that is starting a green team in a very poor school. any ideas to get us started would be osm!
TNTsmom
TNTsmom June 29, 2008
Re: Earth Friendly Jog-A-Thon and Recycling Drive
Thank you for the Kudos, EliasDad! I too, remember the 3 RRR's and it is still a great slogan today. It says it all in a simple way and is easy to remember. Thanks for writing....it's always great to hear from like-minded parents!
TNTsmom
TNTsmom June 29, 2008
Re: Earth Friendly Jog-A-Thon and Recycling Drive
Hi AndriaPerkins! I would love to share some ideas on how your school can start small and Go Green! Where is your school located? Are you nearby a recycling center? Do you have good parent participation at your school? If you can write back, I'd be happy to help!
Diane Tenner
EllasDad
GreatSchools Staff EllasDad June 18, 2008
Re: Earth Friendly Jog-A-Thon and Recycling Drive
This seems like a great way to help kids understand the importance of the environment and their role in protecting it. I remember the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) was a big focus of my 'environmental education' as a child -- it was very memorable, yet there was nothing more engaging than the slogan. I'm glad to see really creative ways to engage children, like the Green Run. Kudos!
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Related keywords: earth-friendly, eco-friendly, environmental, stewardship, fundraising, green, earth day, high school, middle school, elementary school, public school, private school, environmentally friendly, jog-a-thon, treepeople, landfills, schoolwide, eco-projects

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