Schools across the country are “going green.” This means that your child is learning how to conserve energy, keep out Earth environment clean and have more by using less. The focus is not longer just center on “saving the Amazon,” but saving the planet.
During the 2005-06 school year, the eighty schools in five US states participating in the program reported impressive numbers in terms of waste diversion. According to a release from the organization, Go Green schools saved:
- 2 million pounds of paper
- 14, 000 pounds of cardboard
- 25,000 pounds of aluminum
- 48,300 pounds of plastic beverage containers
- 1650 cellular phones
- 8700 printer cartridges
- 202,090 pounds of mixed recyclables
- 13,648 pounds of food waste
Going green means that that these schools:
- Saved 24,792 trees
- Avoided 17 billion BTUs of energy use
- Avoided 892 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions
- Avoided 7.2 million gallons of water use, due to paper recycling
- Avoided 392,540 gallons of oil use, due to paper recycling
- Kept 21,775 pounds of petroleum products out of our rivers and oceans, due to ink cartridge recycling
Becoming a “Green Family” can be fun. Many families have learn how to save a ton of money because they 
are learning to to get more out of using less. Here are some things you can do at home with your kids:
There are many small things you can teach kids can do every day to save energy and keep the world greener.
- Teach your children to shut off the water while they brush their teeth.
- Walk, ride a bike or take the bus instead of traveling by car.
- Take faster showers or baths in just a small amount of water.
- Help hang clothes on the line instead of putting them in the dryer.
- Help your children select products in the store that do not have a lot of packaging.
- Work with your child’s school to help them to “GO Green!”
