Ripe Idea: 10 Day of Service activities for your classroom

Published on: 
September 04, 2012
Author: 
Emily Davos

Now that school has already begun, it’s the perfect time to think about ways to get involved in the Green Apple Day of Service! Here are 10 great projects that any parent or teacher can plan for their classroom.

  1. Natural light is wonderful. It can help ease eyestrain and lower power consumption, and best of all, it’s free. Have your students remove their artwork from the windows and hang it on an assigned wall or bulletin board. That way, you can let bright light shine in and turn off those overhead lights to save some power.
  2. Check your air vents and make sure the air filters are clean, and the vents are free of dust and other allergens. If you’re going to use the air system in your school, make sure you’re doing your part to make that air as clean as it can be. That means when possible, open those windows and let the fresh air circulate through your classroom!
  3. Bring students and parents together to clean your classroom. Make it a team effort to eliminate allergens, mold and other pollutants, and be sure to use environmentally friendly cleaning supplies!
  4. Organize a trip to the local farmer’s market with your child’s classmates and their parents to learn more about seasonal, local vegetables. Let your child taste the different options to start making healthier, locally-grown lunches!
  5. Get your neighbors together (grill-out, coffee hour) to teach them about alternative transportation, and help create carpool groups for school. And if you’re the driver, remember to turn off your car when stopped in the carpool line!
  6. Decorate bins or boxes to use as recycling bins – make paper bins for each classroom, and plastics and aluminum bins for the cafeteria.
  7. Bring the outdoors in! Have a gardening day – bring plants, pots, and soil to your school parking lot, and have students, parents and teachers help put together potted plants for each classroom at your school.
  8. Let there be light! Switch out incandescent light bulbs in lamps or other small light fixtures to more energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs.
  9. Host an outdoor cleanup of your school– pick up trash, rake leaves, sweep sidewalks – you don’t even need to buy supplies!
  10. Host a brainstorming session! Do you want to make big changes at your school, but don’t know how? Invite parents, faculty and staff to a brainstorming session to help develop ideas for how to improve your school!

Register your project today at mygreenapple.org! Have questions about the Day of Service? Contact me with any questions at 202-587-7170 or edavis@usgbc.org. We hope you have a great, green school year!

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