Earth Day 2014: Green Cities

Today is Earth Day, and I am excited about this year’s theme – Green Cities. This year’s theme is near and dear to me because of its emphasis on creating sustainable living communities. What does this mean for students and teachers? Students and teachers can help spread the word in their schools and communities that we need to all reduce our carbon footprint.

There are easy ways schools can lead the charge. We can look at the amount of energy we are using every day to light and heat our school buildings and our homes. We can also look at how we get back and forth to school and work. According to the Green Cities website, “transportation is the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, three-quarters of which comes directly from road vehicle use.” Students and teachers can start their own campaign “to reduce gas emissions and the resulting smog” by asking parents to utilize any school and work carpool options. Students who can/and are able to walk or bike to school can also help (same options should be used by parents traveling to work including public transportation). Students and teachers might also decide to plant a tree in order to help improve the community. Planting trees can be helpful because they provide shade in the summer and barriers in the winter; thereby, cutting the cost of cooling and heating schools and homes.

I realize there are some limitations to what can be done by students, parents, and teachers; however, it is essential that we teach students how to stop and reverse the negative changes to the environment. Let’s help students inherit more sustainable living environments. There are lots of Earth Day activities and projects available online; however, I recommend Edutopia for some great resources and ideas. tlb

Additional related source: Edutopia’s Earth Day Challenge

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