This presentation was given at the 2011 Magnet Schools of America Conference. It details the simple steps to integrating the environment into your school and curriculum.

1. Going for the Green Light:Putting the Environment into your school Presented by: Melissa Turner Environmental Science Teacher Roosevelt Middle Magnet School West Palm Beach, Florida

2. Our Course Grades: 6,7,8 Population: 1,198 Free/Reduced Lunch: 75% Demographics: 5% White 73% Black 13% Hispanic 11% other 52% male 48% female

3. It’s possible! Any school can make going green a priority and be successful! Simple steps will get you there, you just have to take them.

4. How going green has made us a success! Arbor Day FNGLA grant 2011 Scott’s MiracleGro Community Garden Grant 2010 National Environmental Literacy Assessment Test School 2009 2011 Top 10 Recycler Palm Beach County School District 2009 & 2010 ParticipationinUniversity of Florida Research projects on GIS 2009-2010

5. Get Started Small things = big changes Many changes are low to no cost Change your way of thinking, NOT your budget!

6. Get Ready You already have the talent & ideas you need! Create a “Green Team” in your school Find interested teachers, staff, administration and students Set a meeting time Ask people what ideas they have Work with each other and administration to put your ideas to work

7. Get Revved Implement simple “Green” policies No paper copies of things that are sent via email Send out electronic copies of presentations given in meetings Have a school website where teachers and parents can get important information What else?

8. Simple ways to get there… Here are a few simple ways to be more green that actually SAVE you money. Reuse manila folders – don’t trash them Project school-wide tests -- don’t print them Use paperless methods when possible Shut down electronics over long breaks

9. We now take attendance electronically…no more Scantrons! This is just one way that our school reduced our carbon footprint using technology…you can too.

10. Get Teachers to the Track Support Eco-friendly Professional Development Use trainings that already exist Work to create your own Inform and Empower your teachers

15. Playing with your shadow…and learning too! 7th grade math students go outside to learn about proportions using shadows.

16. “Civilization!-Then and Now” Two Social Studies teachers worked with their 6th grade classes to create a wall that depicts the evolution of civilization from the Sumerians to modern times…from waste materials.

17. 6th grade Social Studies classes create chinampas 8th grade Social Studies teachers are working on a National Park curriculum for Earth Day Social Studies goes all out

18. These nature-inspired poems were written by Ms. Welch’s students Excerpt from: A Bird and a Tear To me, it all started with innocence. To a man, the death of a bird There’s no meaning in that word For birds do live or die Matters little to the human eye. To me the death of a bird Ushers a touch of emotions in that word A depressed sense of sorrow Deep in my heart and soul over a sparrow. -Navita G. Nature As they roam the skies, They float and sail through the blue. They are always there, In the morning and the night. When the sky is gray And it begins to rain. I know it is the clouds. It comes from the grounds of earth, It is rough and brown. It’s branches sway in the wind, It gives us fresh air. Being the heart of nature, All life is from trees. Nature is our best friend, But it is dying, Care for what took care of you. -Asad H. Language Arts gets creative with Nature

19. Using Literature to discuss the environment Mrs. Gardner reads The Lorax in honor of Dr. Suess’ birthday to discuss deforestation Images from The Lorax by Dr. Suess

20. Language Arts teachers keep it natural Figurative Language posters using nature to illustrate the definitions. Concrete Poems about a natural cycle: the sun feeds the flower which feeds the bee.

21. African Drums…Recycled? What do you see? Reading the email below, you can see the different ways our elective team collaborated to create artifacts and drums out of recycled materials and tie it to their curriculum

22. Get out of the Garage Best way to expose children to the environment…go outside. There are many places in your schools that can be used to implement learning How many lessons can take place outdoors?

23. Taking it to the skies… Our students use recycled materials to create kites and bottle rockets, just to see how high they will go.

24. Creating Archeological Dig Sites in West Palm Beach Our geometry teacher creates an archeological dig with her students on the baseball field. Once the students dig up their artifacts they use mathematical equations to determine the shape of the original piece.

25. Along the Roadside Are there places on campus where you could create a garden? Butterfly gardens are easy and great for building habitat Vegetables can grow in small areas Easy to expand it each year Great learning tools in any class Use as outdoor classrooms Update landscaping to native water-friendly plants

26. Organic Peppers & Tomatoes Our tomato garden was expanded. Now it produces a variety of peppers as well as producing organic tomatoes. Just outside your classroom

27. Adding Native Plants increases habitat space on campus

28. Our Hydroponic Garden is Producing… And Our Students and Staff are Taking it Home.

29. Leave the Track Find environmental field trips in your county Most have materials to meet curriculum requirements Support integrated curriculum Visit a Botanical Gardens for inspiration in Language Arts Class Go to a museum and learn about how your local environment has changed throughout its history Are there any parks near your campus? Many of these provide environmental opportunities Several are easily walked to, saving on transportation costs and pollution

30. We Love Going off Campus… Loxahatchee River Grassy Waters Palm Beach Zoo Busch Wildlife

31. Walking to deliver gifts saves gas… Student Council makes their annual trip to a local nursing home to deliver gifts and good cheer during the holiday season. and promotes good health!

32. Let Your Students Steer Implement student run recycling programs at school See local recycling facilities for help to set up your program You can have a club for recycling or have certain classes responsible Students design, plant, and maintain gardens Students can create bulletin boards on environmental topics to keep the entire school informed about what is going on. Have school clean-ups where students pick up litter on campus; this helps them be aware of the problem and modify their own behavior.

33. Our Students Teach Each Other Bulletin boards that teach about environmental themes, PowerPoint presentations about National Parks, creating “green cities” and leading lectures about environmental laws are just some of the things that our Environmental Science students are doing to increase awareness.

34. Our students run the recycling programs at RMS! Filling it up and taking it out…the 6th and 7th graders of the environmental science magnet are in charge of picking up the paper recycling everyday throughout the school. The 8th graders are responsible for taking down the electronic recycling on pick-up days.

35. Community Partners are fuel for your Program Nature centers Recycling plants Water treatment centers Electrical company Urban planners Environmental Artists Check for local resources that are available to your school

36. Resource Depot features RMS Civilization Wall at ArtiGras

37. Community Partnerships make field trips possible Our students learn from local experts about wetland ecosystems and organisms during our field trips to Loxahatchee River, Busch Wildlife, and Grassy Waters.

38. Celebrate your Planet Host an Environmental Event Earth Fair Earth Day Events Outdoor plant show Vegetable sale Your Green Team & Students can run the event Turn it into a fundraiser for your school It raises community awareness & involvement

39. RMS Celebrates “Green Day”

40. Earth Week is Back! April 25-29th, 2011 Recycling Collection Daily Trivia with prizes Recycled Art Contest Earth Protector Walk/Run with Resource Depot Author Visit: Harvey Oyer Wear Green Day Our administration and the R.M.S. Green Team is working together on our 2nd Annual Earth Week Celebration.

41. Make Changes at Home and then your neighborhood Have Campus Clean-ups Have neighborhood clean-ups Make environmental changes to improve local lives Teach students & community members a “green way” to live

42. It starts at home and grows from there Roosevelt students work together to keep our campus clean on events like “Green Day” & “Earth Week” Students Working Against Tobacco clean up Gaines Park, a favorite place for our students to go after school and on field trips.

43. Let them try to change the world… Roosevelt Middle students create a garden to help Habitat for Humanity’s efforts in West Palm Beach.

44. Be a Techno-Geek Incorporate technology to reduce waste. Create blogs to replace school or classroom newsletters Wiimotes & Smart Boards increase learning & teacher efficiency Email reduces paper waste Send important notices electronically No need to send student information through mailboxes that anyone can see into Email can also help you connect better with your students and parents

45. Our Newspaper, Media Center & Environmental Science Magnet keep it online & out of the trash. The New Devil Press is an ongoing blog run by Mrs. Gardner’s journalism students. The Environmental Science Magnet has its own page in the paper and contributes current event stories on the environment. Our Media Center uses their blog to share information, run surveys, and reward students.

46. Be Creative If you are in an older school, clean out storage closets in classrooms and offices. This year we found a Slushie maker for fundraising, a functional wind tunnel, and supplies for our new arts and crafts club. This helps save your school money and is a great way to reduce waste. Try to find what your school needs and think of “green” ways to solve the problem

47. Arts and Crafts Club is all about Reusing and Recycling Our new Arts and Crafts Club uses found materials to create beautiful things. Cigar boxes become beautiful keepsake holders. Masks are made with materials found in our old art room. 2-liter bottles become Easter baskets filled with grass created by painting old newspaper green and shredding it.

50. Middle: Aluminum can crusher for the teacher lounge

52. Emails are flying between the Landscape Architect, Artist, and Faculty. The proposed area for the new outdoor classroom. Outdoor Classroom

53. Lights, sinks, and hand dryers are all automated in the sixth grade building.

54. Internet Resources Curriculum Resources North American Association for Environmental Education Earth Day Network Captain Planet Foundation USGBC: Green School Buildings Kids for Saving the Earth Fundraisers and Grants Terracycle National Gardening Association Environmental Protection Agency

55. Any Questions? Please feel free to contact me at: Melissa.Turner@palmbeach.k12.fl.us