ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS WEEK Oct. 3-7, 2011
Where Does It Come From? Where Will It Go?
Monday 10/3 - RECYCLED ART SHOW
Students are invited to craft projects at home using clean items rescued from the trash or recycling bin. Artwork will be collected in front of school at drop off and displayed in the cafeteria all week. Please label all artwork with name, grade, and teacher. Projects will be available for pickup on Friday after school in the garden and artists will receive a small prize for their participation. Unclaimed projects will be recycled - of course!
Monday 10/3 - MEAT FREE MONDAY
Please pack a meat free lunch for the kids today - the cafeteria option will also be meat free. Making just one day a week a meat-free day, really is a little thing that can make a big difference for the environment. Growing crops to feed animals means there is less land on which to grow crops for humans. And animal waste, which in organic farming can be a rich source of fertilizer, has become a major pollutant of water, soil, and air. See www.meatfreemonday.com for more information
Tuesday 10/4 - REUSE AND RECYCLE!
All week special bins will be in the lobby for families to deposit spent batteries and small electronics for recycling. MP3 players, cameras, radios, hand held games, video recorders, chargers, laptops, CD’s and DVD’s are among the items accepted.
Did you know that there is a deposit box for ink cartridges and cell phones in the lobby year-round? Harper school receives $.40-$2.00 for each cartridge or cell phone recycled. We’ll also be collecting HALLOWEEN COSTUMES that you no longer plan to use for donation to students at our sister school.
Wednesday 10/5 - WEAR GREEN AND WALK TO SCHOOL
Wearing green symbolizes support for the environment and reminds us to live green, too. Encourage your kids to wear as much green as possible - all participants will receive a small prize. If possible, plan not to drive to school today! Save our fossil fuels, breathe fresher air, and enjoy talking with your children and the other parents.
JOIN THE WALKING SCHOOL BUS - RAIN OR SHINE! At 8:15, walkers will meet at Schiller and Hunter - the “bus” will depart promptly at 8:20 to arrive at school by 8:45. There will be a second stop at Hunter & Greenwood, please join us there no later than 8:30. The “Bus” will be lively - with signs, noisemakers, and balloons! An officer from WPD will be waiting in front of school to greet and cheer on the walkers.
Thursday 10/6 - CLASSROOM BOOK SWAP/RECYCLING RELAY
For the ever-popular Classroom Book Swap, simply send in a gently-used book, appropriate for your grade’s general reading level, to exchange with a classmate. Kids love the annual Recycling Relay during PE class - and you don’t even have to do anything for this one - phew!
Friday 10/7 - WASTE FREE FRIDAY
Help reduce waste and teach kids to think about packaging when they choose snacks and drinks. Please use reusable lunch containers, utensils, even cloth napkins when packing lunch today, and we’ll recycle the rest! Kids who buy lunch will see that all items are either consumable, reusable, or recyclable. Volunteers will be in the cafeteria to monitor the disposal line and acknowledge the kids’ efforts.
FINAL THOUGHTS
When our children bring home new ideas about saving the Earth, we encourage you to talk with them about what they’ve learned and adopt some of their suggestions at home. Thank you so much for your participation in making this a fun and educational week for the kids!
The Environmental Affairs Committee:
Diane Schaffner
Sam Wallace
Jolynn Houlihan
Stephanie Van Winkle
Elizabeth Samartzis
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