Schools and the Green Movement
Environmental education is pushing into a new system as schools are urging children and their families to lead more eco-friendly lives out side of school. 700 elementary and secondary schools took part in their first National Green Week as teachers infuse 'green' living lessons into their classes. Students at most of the schools gave up their disposable snack containers for the week and opt in for reusable ones to reduce the amount of waste.
"Were trying to teach the kids that parents' behaviors can change to be more green", says Victoria Waters, president of the Green Education Foundation, which organized the National Green Week.
However critics say that activists and educators are going too far into trying to shape how families live. They feel as though the parents should teach the children values and lifestyles and that is not up to the teachers and educators to do so. They say that some parents may depend on the connivence and the sanitary of disposable containers.
Educators in pockets around the country have woven environmental lessons into school experiences. Elementary students in Virginia Beach have begun recycling paper in classrooms. Children in Loveland, Ohio, tend vegetable gardens. In these programs and others, students practice conservationist behaviors at school, though they're not necessarily expected to repeat them at home.
Next week, students will explore how they and their neighbors might shrink their waste and carbon footprints. Fourth-graders may discuss how driving less and walking more can lead to improved air quality. Middle-schoolers will have an option to lobby local businesses to recycle their electronics. High-schoolers may tackle the project of reducing junk mail at home or learn how to identify eco-friendly consumer goods.
As environmental education evolves, experts say, it's important to frame greener habits outside school as options to consider. Children then learn to make personal choices informed by science, says Karen Hollweg, president of the North American Association for Environmental Education.
