Making a difference isn't as daunting as it sounds. We consulted the experts at the Union of Concerned Scientists about these effective ways to make an impact on your child's school. Talk your principal, PTS president, or facilities director about how you can put these ideas into action.
BIG PICTURE
• Switch to energy-efficient compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) and light-emitting-diode (LED) bulbs.
• Perform an energy audit to determine the potential for renewable energy.
• Ask that science teachers include global warming in their curriculum.
• Green your kid's school bus fleet.
• Take a field trip to a wind farm.
MAINTENANCE
• Switch to environmentally friendly cleaning products.
• Use paint with few or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
• Use greener materials in art class.
• Start a recyling program for paper, plastic, metal, and glass.
IN THE CAFETERIA
• Consider a composting program for the lunchroom leftovers.
• Switch to reusable trays and utensils in the cafeteria.
• Urge your cafeteria to serve locally grown food.
ON THE FIELD
• Plant indigenous shrubs and grasses, which come back year after year and require less water—because they are better suited to the climate—than nonindigenous species.
• Switch to natural pesticides for landscaping.
