This year, Christina Martinez decided she wanted to be more green.

And the Holyoke (Colo.) Elementary Schoolart teacher has put that goal into practice both in her own artwork and in the classroom.
We talk a lot on the blog about green steps teachers are taking in conventional classrooms. But teachers like Martinez are making specials classrooms green, too.

It’s something I’m really interested in,” she said. “I ask myself, ‘whatcan I do with things that are free or really cheap?”

The answer? Lots of things.

For instance, her fifth graders are making sock pupets from recycled socks, while learning how to sew. Other classes have made snakes out of old ties and Christmas ornaments from recycled materials.

“It really makes my projects go a lot farther,” she said, adding that by reusing materials, she’s better able to stretch her budget for bigger-ticket items like paint and other supplies.

Next, she’s considering having her students make wallets and purses out of reused juice pouches.

Nothing goes to waste if Martinez can help it. She’s currently collecting bottle caps for another project, while bringing students’ families in on the fun by having them save items, too.

“People have been very supportive by giving me the things I need,” said Martinez.

You can read more about Martinez’s green art projects here. Meanwhile, tell us what you’re doing with your students to create a green classroom.

It can also mean putting some green in schools’ piggybanks.

The Recycle Bowl competition offered $1,000 to the school in each state that collected the most recyclable material per capita between Oct. 17 and Nov. 12.

“We’re eager to see more recycling in our schools and to help students learn how important recycling is,” said Christine Korduba, a spokeswoman for Nestlé Waters North America, which co-sponsored the Recycle Bowl.

“We’re excited to partner with Keep America Beautiful and every participating school on this important recycling initiative.”

Winning schools from each state were entered into the championship round and first place went to Marshall Christian Academy in Albertville, Ala., where students recycled 41 pounds of material per person, earning a total of $3500 in prize money.

That’s a lot of green for “going green.”

The Recycle Bowl will be held again this fall. Click here for more information and to register your school.

Editor’s Note: Here is the latest post from guest blogger Jessica Anderson, a kindergarten teacher at Thurston Elementary in Ann Arbor, MI. Jessica’s last post was about her kindergratners’ efforts to recycle juice boxes.

Thurston School’s Pennies for Peregrine Falcons effort is underway again this year! A couple of years back, Thurston students voted to adopt an endangered animal, and chose the Peregrine Falcon, a raptor found here in our state. The Leslie Science Center, a local resource for environmental education, allows school and youth groups to undertake virtual adoptions for a donation as low as $50.

Our students will be learning about Peregrine Falcons throughout the month, and bringing in loose change to donate to the Falcon Fund. Throughout the year, many Thurston classes visit the Leslie Science Center for some of their excellent indoor/outdoor programs.

A highlight of each trip is always visiting the animals. In addition to housing rescued turtles, rodents, lizards, and other critters, LSC is a licenced Raptor Education facility, taking in owls, hawks, and kestrels, along with the falcon. Most arrived at the center with injuries that prevent them from surviving in the wild, but the Perigrine Falcon simply lacked the drive to hunt, and was donated by her falconer.  Her handlers call her “the perfect flying education bird.”

This week, students celebrated their first-ever “Waste-Free Lunch Period” by packing their own lunches without using any disposable paper or plastic packaging.

And guess what! Five classes of fourth and fifth graders participated in the inaugural event, earning community special edition ‘green paws’ to hang in their classrooms for the rest of the year.

“I thought for sure some of the kids would forget their plastic containers, but they didn’t,” teacher Beth Halliwell said. “ I’m amazed,”

The effort wasn’t lost on Superintendent Georgia Fortunato.

“When the kids first came to our class with this idea, I thought it was phenomenal,” Fortunato said. “It empowers the kids to make decisions that impact the school and the community in which they live as a whole.”

What can you do to encourage your students to take the lead in promoting green schools and, yes, even green lunches?

Read more about the students’ Waste-Free Lunch Period here.

Editor’s Note: Last fall, our blogger, Jessica Anderson, a kindergarten teacher in Ann Arbor, MI, wrote about the beginnings of her school’s

Spiderman won our juice pouch recycling contest, bringing in the majority of the 2,161 juice pouches students recycled.

Spidey and Superman have moved on to other superhero tasks, but the Green Machine continues to bring in the recyclables. Our next challenge is to add as many potato chip bags and ink cartridges as possible to our recycling haul.

Parent Mary Manthey is heading up the effort and recently began decorating the bulletin board above the Green Machine. In keeping with the green theme, she laid out the background with tissue paper and ribbon she’d saved from holiday gift wrapping, and plans to put up pictures of our students in action on each section of the board. She’s got photos of composters, recyclers, reusers…all setting a great example for the rest of Thurston.

Way to go, kids!

The website includes tools ranging from curriculum to building and maintaining new, eco-friendly schools, as well as a calendar of green-education activities around the state.

It’s a one-stop shop for information on green classrooms and green schools.

“The Green School Coalition Web site will provide a one-stop shop for individuals seeking information on how to make school buildings healthier and more sustainable,” said Mike Smoczyk, a member of the Coalition’s Executive Committee. “Parents, students, educators and anyone interested in making school buildings green will have access to a wealth of information.”

Studies show that green schools increase students’ ability to learn and lead to improved test scores and higher attendance.

Currently, there are 15 LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) schools in Minnesota. Five of those are K-12 schools.

Visit the new website, click here.

This week, the school hosted its first-ever Community Go-Green Night. The event featured displays, discussions and demonstrations about earth-friendly practices that everyone can do at home and in the workplace.

Collection stations were also set up to accept unwanted household items, such as batteries, used Christmas lights, electronics and more.

City officials and solid-waste authorities were also on hand to answer questions.

“It’s our goal to teach our children to sustain our earth for generations to come. It’s our duty,” said Karen Miller school principal.

And the notion of a yurt classroom began to make more sense.

This week, the association unveiled its new yurt classroom, which is just awaiting the furniture and solar panels that will be installed in an adjacent field.

“We want to encourage and educate people about environmentally sound living,” said Christina Pocklington, the assistant director of education at Beaver Brook.

For many of the students who visit Beaver Brook each year from urban schools, this will be their first exposure to sustainable energy.

The yurt’s reflective interior and shape allow inside temperatures to hover around 50 degrees on winter nights with nothing but the pilot light in the propane furnace. Meanwhile, a photovoltaic array and battery cells will provide reliable electric power to the yurt year-round without dependence on external sources.

Once outfitted with desks and chairs, the yurt will provide a warm, safe and green place for students to learn about the environment.

Students at an Ohio high school will undertake a study of water quality thanks to an Environmental Protection Agency “Healthy Water, Healthy People” grant.

Talawanda High School teachers Adriane Ruther and Stephen Pasquale developed the proposal to purchase equipment and supplies to allow students to monitor water quality on the new high school property and to provide training for teachers in the Healthy Water, Healthy People protocol used by the Environmental Protection Agency.

The school’s $30,937 grant is among 10 grants that were awarded statewide for nearly $340,000, according to a news release from the high school.

“Our new building will really enhance the quality of science instruction for students… both inside the classroom and in the beautiful outdoor area,” Pasquale said.

Environmental Science students will move into the environmentally sustainable building for the 2012-13 school year and immediately begin monitoring the environmental impact of land use.

Students will investigate the impact of agricultural chemicals on the watershed of the 100-acre Erik Outdoor Education Area at the newly constructed Talawanda High School. They will measure and monitor the flow of agricultural chemicals through the wetlands. Students will then make recommendations to the Board of Education.

It’s December, and our pumpkin patch is sleeping under a cold, sleety sky.

Inside, we’re thinking other green thoughts at Thurston School. The Green Schools Committee has organized a fund-raising drive to collect recyclable juice pouches. We kicked the effort off at a recent all-school assembly, when kids and parents were present for the annual Thanksgiving Sing.  Our principal, always full of ways to make things fun and engaging for students, arranged for two very special visitors. They may have looked a little like two Thurston dads, but they were the real, live “Superman” and “Spiderman” up on our stage, challenging Thurston to a contest. Students use their juice pouches to vote for their favorite superhero by recycling them in different bins in The Green Machine, set up outside the school’s main office.

Green Schools is also responsible for our cafeteria recycling and composting program. Students no longer just throw their tray or lunch bag away after they finish eating. Fifth grade students help other grades sort the styrofoam trays, milk cartons, compostable food scraps, plastic sporks, and plastic or paper recycling into different bins. With this careful sorting, we have greatly reduced the amount of garbage generated by our lunchroom, and what’s left to go in the trash can is very minimal. The city picks up our compost during the fall and spring, and for the winter months, we are looking into on-site composting options.

Years ago, our Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle lessons were confined to Earth Day, but it’s exciting to see how conscientious elementary students can be about the “3 Rs” now that living green is part of their daily experience at school!