Teaching about the natural, outdoor environment indoors can be done well, but it can be even more effective if the indoor environment is nature-friendly or “green” (to use the current lingo). Just trying to teach the value of a tree, for instance, seems a little more difficult if done in an atmosphere of paper waste. The lessons in this chapter may be used at the beginning of the school year to establish a culture of “going green” for the entire school year. Another logical time of year to consider a unit of these lessons would be the period surrounding Earth Day. Although these lessons do not constitute an entire unit, together they can help you launch an Earth Day unit or school recycling/ greening program.
Lessons covered in this chapter are:
• Recycling School Paper
• Going Paperless
• Composting Cafeteria Waste
• Using Solar Energy
• Saving Electricity
• Saving Water
• Reuse!
• Helping Teachers Recycle More
• Encouraging Recycling at Home
• Community Cleanup Project