Green Journal® Articles
Food
Barbara teaches Bio-nutrition and Honors Bio-nutrition to juniors and seniors at Morrestown Friends. Find out how the movie Fresh inspired the development of her innovative courses around the theme of sustainable eating.
In this article, Geoffrey describes the details of a fifth grade Environmental Action Club Project that encouraged and inspired fellow students and teachers to produce less waste (both packaging and food waste) with the lunches and snacks they brought to school.
Middle school students at Carolina Friends School spent a week visiting local farms and markets, learning about the value of eating fresh and local foods, planning a menu, and preparing a feast from local ingredients.
Gerri, Head of School at Westbury Friends, describes an ambitious effort to educate students and their families about nutritious eating habits.
All students and faculty eat lunch prepared by a dining staff at Sidwell; this daily meal is built into the tuition costs for students. Over 1400 meals are served each day, 364 on the Lower School Campus and 1060 on the Middle/Upper School Campus. Rebecca Cunningham and Robyn Menard join forces in this article to describe the evolution and ambitions of the green cuisine food service provided at Sidwell Friends.
Kirsten describes the amazing program at Olney Friends School, where the students raise much of their own food, including meat, eggs, and produce!
Green Building & Spaces
Gen explains the reasons new science classrooms were needed at Germantown Friends and the decision to build a new science facility embodying green design principles. She discusses a wide variety of the building’s green design features.
Gerri, Head of School at Westbury Friends, discusses how her school is creating an innovative outdoor learning space in the midst of urbanized Long Island.
This article describes an innovative method of financing expensive solar panels that Sidwell Friends is implementing for its Lower School campus.
Kirsten describes the exciting new Passive Haus building that Olney Friends is going to construct. It will be the first non-residential Passive Haus building in the United States.
Friends School Haverford has created a beautiful school yard that is an integral part of the curriculum and school community, and that exemplifies the school’s commitment to environmental stewardship.
Green Practices
Posted: January 2013, NH. With great optimism and enthusiasm, sustainability at the White Mountain School (WMS) in Bethlehem, NH is alive and well as key existing initiatives are maintained and new areas are forged.
Gerri, Head of School at Westbury Friends School, describes a variety of environmental initiatives students and faculty have participated in over the last two years to reduce energy bills and foster recycling.
John describes the myriad of ways that Carolina Friends School is demonstrating exemplary environmental stewardship and creatively involving students in the process.
Kirsten describes a mulching program at Olney Friends, to which the neighboring community of Barnesville contributes. The program uses 15 tons of leaves!
Kirsten describes how Olney Friends organized a three-day gathering to consider the query: “How does an environmentally aware, independent Quaker high school evolve into something larger than itself?” Participants included not only members of the school community, but interested people in the larger community of which Olney Friends is an integral part.
Service & Action
Geoffrey discusses what the Lower School Environmental Action Club at Germantown Friends School has been doing over the years, including working with an organization called Earth Force. Earth Force offers a six-step process students can use to create “real change” in their communities.
With the guidance of teacher Richard Schultz, twelve and thirteen year olds at Stratford Friends School constructed bluebird boxes for a local preserve. Soon after the houses were raised, bluebirds moved in. This article describes how Richard integrated outdoor experiences with woodworking skills and service learning that benefitted the local community.
Teaching
In 2007, I designed and taught a High School course in environmental research and found several students willing to work with me on a study of invasive plants. I had some ideas on how to eliminate invasive plants, and I wanted to test my theories in the field. Since then, we have conducted community service outings to remove invasive plants around Fairfield County, and combined my middle school classes with local Cub Scout and Brownie groups, Trout Unlimited and Town Environmental Committees to work on Parks, city beaches, fishing areas and school playgrounds.
Margaret and Dave present a science activity in which students learn how to conduct experiments while providing a useful environmental service at the same time (and some free entertainment!).
Friends School Haverford Ann describes how she brings monarch butterflies into her Kindergarten classes, stimulating the curiosity and sense of wonder of her fortunate students.
Margaret and Dave describe a homework assignment that introduces their students to Richard Louv’s notion of Nature Deficit Disorder (NDD). Students interview their parents, comparing their parents’ childhoods with their own and then reflecting whether they and their peers suffer from NDD.
Middle school students at Carolina Friends School spent a week visiting local farms and markets, learning about the value of eating fresh and local foods, planning a menu, and preparing a feast from local ingredients.
Steve describes his original middle school English unit that combines literature (Barry Lopez and William Faulkner), writing, and environmental ethics.
As part of an amphibian unit during science class, second graders at Germantown Friends School participate in a citizen science study of local frog populations called “Frog Watch.” The protocols for this study are simple enough for elementary students. Geoffrey describes their experiences below.
Laurel describes how her upper school biology students prepare, conduct, and evaluate environmental lessons for lower school students for Sandy Spring’s annual Earth Stewardship Day.
Margaret and Dave describe the 8th grade environmental science course at Sidwell Friends, discussing how they endeavor to teach science and develop environmental ethics in the same course. Doug offers his own commentary based upon his own extensive science teaching experience.
Ann, a master Kindergarten teacher at Friends School Haverford, tells the amazing story of how she has used a simple rain puddle on the FSH campus to excite and stimulate the students under her care. Has any teacher ever used a puddle in so many interesting ways?
Laurel describes a long-standing wildflower project that high school biology students have participated in for more than 40 years at Sandy Spring Friends School and the many ways the project has affected her fortunate students.
Westury Friends School Barbara describes the successes and challenges of setting up a worm composting system with her energetic young students at Westbury Friends School.
More Greenery
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