According to a report done by CNN, roughly 172 million Americans celebrate Halloween every year, and 69% of them hand out candy. On average most families that participate in this ghoulish celebration spend about $86 dollars on decorations, candy and their costumes totaling out to about $8.8 billion spent in the United Sates. An interesting fact I discovered while researching Halloween is that it is the second largest holiday after Christmas for purchasing decorations and unfortunately most of those decorations are made from non-recyclable plastic material. There are some relatively easy ways to lower the amount of spooky waste associated with All Hallows Eve one way is to reuse or upcycle Halloween costumes from previous years. Create a fun scavenger hunt for the kids and challenge them to create unique and original costumes by checking out local thrift stores… who knows maybe we’ll see some Vampire’s of Energy or Mother Earth’s walking around this year! When you’ve thoroughly enjoyed your costume and no longer need it opt to host a costume swap party or donate it versus tossing it in the trash. 

Get your kids excited about making better environmental choices by breaking out the arts and crafts box to make your own decorations from items that would otherwise be recycled. We often purchase our decorations based on convenience, but I urge you to shop mindfully by selecting items like real local grown pumpkins over the ever-popular plastic ones. Old cardboard boxes make for great DIY tombstones and old panty hose shredded up look eerily similar to spider webs. Now I know sometimes those creative juices just aren’t flowing like you want them to, so when you do purchase decorations look for items that can be reused for many years to come.

Going door to door and proudly showing off your costume in exchange for candy is by far my favorite part of the holiday. I always look forward to the end of the night when I can see my spoils from the night, but the truth is it’s always far more candy than most can eat (without getting a serious tummy ache or cavity). I began to wonder if there was anything that could be done with access candy and found that many organizations take left over unopened candy and use it for future events. You can also opt to not take candy once you get to your desired amount even if you’re in a group that is still collecting. When your belly is full and wrappers are strewn around you, don’t let that belly ache be for nothing, get creative and utilize the wrappers as a part of a future craft project. 

My final tip for the Spooktacular night is to go in groups and opt to walk, carpool or ride your bike as much as you can. The fun of the holiday doesn’t have to disappear just because our use of plastic, food waste and textile waste does. Putting a small twist on the earlier mentioned meme “Whats scarier than a ghost? An informed person who doesn’t make small changes when they can.”  Now let’s get out there and have a very Happy Halloween!

Yours truly,

Shavara J.

References:

www.theecologist.org
www.greenerideal.com
www.greenharvard.edu
www.livegreen.recyckebank.com

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Now I totally get that schools aren’t selecting disposable options because they want to have a negative impact on the environment, rather they simply seem more convenient because it doesn’t require the time or manpower to wash. However, to my surprise and likely yours, most studies showed that even factoring in the energy and other resources necessary to wash reusable foodware, the environmental impact still came out to be lower than that of using disposable trays and utensils. There was a vast amount of information regarding this particular topic, but one thing that every source had in common was the fact that reusable compartment trays had a lower environmental impact and were less expensive when compared to that of disposable serving options. They also used the least amount of energy, had the lowest amount of solid waste, and lowest greenhouse gas emission. 

What I discovered was that though there is an initial cost in purchasing reusable lunchware over time, schools began to save annually over the cost of disposable trays and utensils. I believe it is also overlooked that there are hidden figures in the cost of disposable trays that must be factored in. The additional cost in offering disposable foodware options comes in the form of cost of the trays themselves, to the cost of trash bags and increased hauling from the added daily waste created. An average size school can produce more than 30,000 pounds of waste in their lunchroom alone.

I was able to find a pretty cool study done by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency that found the following results: schools prevented 6,712 pounds of trash and were expected to save $23,000 over three years. Further, they reduced greenhouse gases by 77% and water consumption by tens of thousands of gallons. The added dishware only took an additional 20 minutes of employee time to wash per day and the dishwasher loads went from 38 loads to a slight increase up to 41.5. 

Overall the “inconvenience” expected was actually not one at all. I do want to mention that the more “energy efficient” the dishwasher are the greater the savings on water and energy are. Just think if more schools had the ability to make the jump back to reusable lunchware how much of an impact that would have on the carbon footprint. I’ll leave you all with a quote that spoke to me, “Each one of us can make a difference. Together we make change.” – Barbara Milkulski

For OK Green Schools,

Shavara J

References:

www.pca.state.mn.us
www.stopwaste.org
www.thegreenteam.org

The post Make it Green Mondays- Sustainability Beyond The Classroom appeared first on Oklahoma Green Schools.

 Let’s talk about Earth Day; an annual event celebrated on April 22^ndworldwide in a demonstration of support for protecting our environment. Today there are a whopping 193 countries that celebrate the day, which is no small feat considering that it was started by three people. The inaugural observation of Earth Day started on April 22^nd, 1970 and was launched by a trio led by U.S Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, Harvard student Denis Hayes and eco-activist Paul Erich.

 There is no way to tell if the three had any idea that this event they coined with the name Earth Day would be so successful. There were an outstanding 20 million Americans that took to the streets, auditoriums, classrooms and parks to demonstrate their support for the health and sustainability of our environment. Among the 20 million it was recorded that two thousand colleges and ten thousand primary and secondary schools were in participation of the inaugural day… shout out to the Baby Boomer generation! 

The wave of environmental awareness ignited by Earth Day led to some pretty amazing changes in our government which were; the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, and the Federal Occupational Health and Safety Act. 

 Based on the astounding number of educational institutes that participated in Earth Days inaugural year it was clear that young people were ready to step up and demand change and with their passion non-profits like our own would later be created. The Oklahoma Green Schools Programstrives to educate and inspire students, and this is exactly what Earth Day’s mission is. 

Today Earth Day has become the largest secular day of observance in the world, with it being celebrated by more than a billion people each year. I don’t want you to think that your participation has to be some large grand gesture it can be something as simple as picking up a piece of trash on a walk, or the planting of a few trees. Just think the shade and wind buffering created by trees reduces our annual heating and cooling cost by close to 2 billion dollars annually and with 4 million pounds of plastic being dumped into the ocean each year imagine how much can be diverted if every person picked up just one piece. Earth Day has also generated an entire job industry around recycling, reuse and manufacturing that accounts for roughly 3 million jobs in the U.S.

In honor of Earth Day and my desire to make my own environmental impact I will leave you with some facts that will hopefully get you motivated to get out and do something. Consider planting a tree because every minute we lose 56 acres of forest, 18 million acres are lost each year, the amount of paper and wood thrown away every year is enough to light 50 million homes for 20 years. Even something simple like requesting a receipt be emailed or texted to you versus being printed those pesky things can’t even be recycled because of the type of treatment done to the paper. Try spending the day outside, cutting down on time spent in the car and house will cut down on the amount of greenhouse gas that is emitted by both. 

Many organizations like our very own; the Oklahoma Green Schools Programparticipate in Earth Day events hosted around the state. This year we were fortunate to be invited to both University of Central Oklahoma, Oklahoma University and the Oklahoma Science Museum which gives us the opportunity to educate in a fun and interactive way with young people on the importance of our earth and protecting its health. I find so much hope in the next generation when I see the excitement in their eyes as they learn something new about ways to protect our planet. The genuine desire to do good and make a difference is often inspiring to entire families just through sparking that passion in the youngest member of the family. 

I challenge you all to get out and inspire as many people as you can and make this year your best by doing your part to honor our planet as always Reduce, Reuse, Recycle when and where you can and be green on this beautiful holiday.

Shavara J.

References:

Resnet.us.com

Epa.gov

Earthday.org

Factsd.com

The post Make it Green Mondays–Earth Day Tribute appeared first on Oklahoma Green Schools.

 I am certain many of you have noticed the surge in programs and initiatives for implementing environmental education in schools, which I believe is because of the urgency we feel to reduce the amount of single-use materials that are entering into our waterways and affecting our wildlife, leading to a wasteful way of living, among many other environmental issues caused by humans. We hope engaging our youth in understanding the need for the protection of the environment will lead to a direct change in behavior, attitudes and actions.

 Starting environmental education at a young age is important because it’s at that time that young people develop their perception of the level of control they have over their surroundings and it leads to personal accountability. In case you’re like me and need a refresher on the time line of the generations, it goes like this: Baby Boomers- 1946-1964, Generation X- 1965-1976, Millennials aka Generation Y- 1977-1995 and last but not least Generation Z 1996-TBD. 

With Generation Z, 70 million people in the U.S., creating urgency to “do something” is crucial. Now, I don’t want to paint a picture that this newest generation (Generation Z) is responsible alone to “fix” all our problems, nor should we forget that generations before them have been helping pave the way. We’ve seen a lot of action from the Baby Boomer generation, Generation X and Millennials. Baby Boomers are currently the most likely to use energy-efficient appliances and recycle, where Millennials hold first place for using the least amount of water and energy. 

Baby Boomers tend to be blamed for many of the current issues with our environment, but they should be commended for some notable achievements. Baby Boomers are responsible for both the Clean Air Act, and the first ever Earth Day in 1970. Our goal should be for all generations to unite for the common goal of continued education and self-awareness. We can all understand the concept that when creating future policies that protect our planet, it will require the help of our younger generation to put plans into action. The sustainability of our Earth’s resources and health will be made possible by the next generation, but they will need the educational tools we provide now to be successful.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my ramblings on this edition of Make it Green Mondays. 

For Oklahoma Green Schools,

Shavara J.

References:

Ypard.net
Digitalcommons.unl.edu
Cleantechnica.com
Forbes.com

The post Make it Green Mondays: Educating Young People appeared first on Oklahoma Green Schools.

I’m going to focus this first blog on introducing myself, so bear with me as I ramble on about who I am, and why you should possibly care for the next few paragraphs!

I will start with my name because I guess that’s somewhat important for getting to know someone ha ha… which is Shavara Johnson. I have been married for almost 3 years, I have a 1 and ½ year old son and a baby girl due in March of this year. I come to the Oklahoma Green Schools Program after a brand-new remote position was created, which worked with my desire to be a more hands on mother to my growing family. My days are spent chasing after my very energetic toddler and doing my best to bring environmental awareness in a fun an interesting way to you all.

Prior to my position with the Oklahoma Green Schools Program I was the Recycle Facilitator for Keep Oklahoma Beautiful, where I was first exposed to the importance of our environmental impact. I’ve gained so much knowledge about our personal roles in the health of our environment through my position, and blogging helps me to share that knowledge with an audience that is as invested as I am.

I hope that you all will take this journey with me through this monthly blog, where I promise to provide you with informative topics, and solutions to everyday environmental choices that we can make. Look for me every second Monday in the Month for the latest; #MakeitGreenMondays.

OK Green Schools very own,

Shavara J.

The post Make it Green Mondays appeared first on Oklahoma Green Schools.

Who’s Going Green Now?		Deer Creek Middle School	Deer Creek High School	Inola Middle School
		Jefferson Elementary School	McLain High School	Owasso 7th Grade Center	Owasso Mid-High School
Owasso High School	Owasso RAM Academy	Peters Elementary School	Remington Elementary School	Skyline Elementary School	Webster High School

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