Green Schools and Safe Routes to School: They're for Everyone!
We'd like to share the two informative and inspiring articles below from the New York Times about green actions and green schools making a difference. When you're sufficiently inspired, click on our Green Schools Report Card Quiz to take stock of where your school is on the greening path, and then head to How to Green Your School and 7 Steps to a Green School to take your next steps!
"Students Give up Wheels for Their Own Two Feet"
With childhood obesity and global warming on the rise, these words should be music to everyone's ears. Read about how thousands of kids around the world -- including those from a region in Italy that has set up "piedibus" (foot-bus in Italian) -- are getting emission-free exercise on their way to school, eliminating 100,000 miles of car travel. In 1960, 40% of American kids walked to school; in 2001 only 13% did. Sometimes the "old-fashioned" way of doing things turns out to be the best option for lots of reasons.
"Teaching Green, Beyond Recycling"
Sometimes learning about the environment can be a matter of public health and survival. Kids in a variety of "green schools" are learning about much more than trees and recycling -- they're learning about the air quality in their neighborhood, and the impact of contamination in local waterways. They learn that they can have a positive effect on their surroundings, and that civic involvement can make a real difference in their lives and the health of their community. From poor kids to rich kids, to middle class kids, green schools are going mainstream and catching on.