Fifth Graders “Go Green”

This entry was provided by our elementary enrichment teacher, Mrs. Stephanie Foran.

You have probably heard by now that CFL (Compact Fluorescent Lamp) light bulbs are better for the environment than incandescent light bulbs, but --

• Did you know that one CFL light bulb uses 75% less energy, lasts up to 10 times longer, and can save 500 pounds of coal from being burned?
• Did you know that the United States alone goes through 2.5 million water bottles per hour and that 77% of these bottles end up in landfills?
• Did you know that Nike has a program that reuses old sneakers and converts them into new sports surfaces (running tracks, basketball and tennis courts, playground surfaces, etc.)?

These are some of the amazing facts that district-wide fifth grade students learned from a program called “Kids Going Green,” coordinated by Mrs. Stephanie Foran, Enrichment Teacher. The students attended the assembly last Wednesday.

“Kids Going Green” was 100% funded by the City of Woodbury through the Clean Communities Grant. Presented with expert knowledge and impressive energy by Michele Van Allen, of Jack Branagan’s Earth Matters, this program focused on educating students on concepts like fossil fuels and greenhouse gases while offering practical ways to reduce our carbon footprint and work towards creating a better environment.

We were fortunate to have some city officials present with us in the audience, including Mr. Thomas Dukelow, Clean Communities Co-Coordinator and Director of Parks & Recreation, Councilwoman Gwendolyn Brown, and Councilman Harry Trout.

Although Mr. Robert Law, Woodbury’s Chief Financial Officer/Deputy Administrator and Co-Chair of the Clean Communities Program, could not be present, he has been instrumental in serving as an extremely gracious and helpful point of contact over the past two years. We are very grateful to the City of Woodbury for their generosity and support, and we will keep the message of the program with us as we all work together to help save the earth.