Focus On Earth Day-Earth Day Resources

In the last of my Focus On Earth Day Series I want to highlight some of the websites that can help as you talk to kids, schools and districts about Earth Day. Here are some of my favorites.

Earth Day has information you can use on Earth Day and every day! You can find a listing of EPA events, plus a history of Earth Day and the Environmental movement in the United States.

Kids Domain Earth Day advocates celebrating Earth Day every day! This Kids Only site features activities, coloring pages, downloads and clip art.

PlanetPals - the ultimate website to find entertaining Earth Day information. Keep up-to-date with complete listings of Earth Day activities, teaching aids and earth science. Learning for all ages is available here but it is especially fun for kids!

Earthday.net - Numerous resources and tips on how to make a better Earth Day for yourself and network with others.

Young Environmentalists In Action - learn about a problem, and write your letter voicing your opinion. Letter writing tips and more.

Thirty Activities to Celebrate Earthday - ideas for classroom or home.

Composting In Schools all kinds of info from Cornell University.

There are tons more resources out there. Also if you are on Twitter add #HappyEarthDay or #EarthDay to your tweet so others can see what you are doing. You can even use the Twitter Search to see what others are talking about. So go out, plant a tree, start recycling, or take your reusable bags to get groceries this afternoon. Happy Earth Day!

Image Courtesy Flickr Creative Commons

Queen Bohemian Rhapsody Old School Computer Remix

If you have not seen this yet you have got to watch this...what a great way to use old computer equipment...program it like a DJ! (While it doesn't exactly fit in with this weeks them it is still fun!)

Focus On Earth Day-50 Ways To Go Green In The Classroom

In my continuing Earth Day series, today I want to focus on the classroom and what teachers and other education professionals can do to help the planet.

Back in June, 2008 the folks over at Teaching Tips.com created a list of the top 50 Ways To Go Green In The Classroom. They have a few obvious suggestions like use a Power Point Presentation instead of printed notes , using email instead of memos, and turn off your computer in the afternoons. But they have some great suggestions that really make you stop and think. Here are a few of my favorites.

Compost heap: If your school isn’t willing to start composting, you can create a mini compost pile outside your classroom to get rid of some of your garbage, though it’s probably a smart idea to make sure it’s cleared with the administration and fire codes.

Calculate your carbon footprint: You can use this calculator to calculate your classroom’s carbon footprint, or the combined effect all of your students have on the environment. Then, discuss ways to minimize your effect on the environment.

Write with recycled pencils: This number two pencil is also made of recycled wood.

Unplug your mini-fridge: Consider sharing a mini-fridge with the teachers down the hall instead of having your own private refrigerator that soaks up extra electricity

Campaign for an Idle-Free School Zone: These Idle-Free School Zones are catching on and encourage parents who arrive at school to pick up their kids to turn off their engines and reduce pollution.

Student Environmental Action Coalition: This group provides information on local events and global campaigns that are devoted to saving the environment.

So head on over to Teaching Tips.com and check out the rest of the list. If you decide to do any of these, drop me a line or a comment and tell me how you, your classroom or your school is going green!

50 Ways To Go Green In The Classroom

Image Courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons

Focus On Earth Day-Save A Little Green Going Green

With Earth Day on Wednesday I am going to focus posts this week on tools, sites, tips and tricks you and your students can use to help the planet.

Today I revive an old post about ways to save energy in the classroom and tools to monitor energy usage.

There is a lot of talk in the media and the Internet about Global Warming and there is a big push to go green. Whether or not you agree with the politics you can agree that in the current state our country is in saving money is always something to look at. There is a new website that aims to do that, with a large focus on computers and computer equipment.

In the home and school computers are the largest users of energy. We expect them to be at our beck and call, ready, 24 hours a day to communicate with the world, take us to a far away place or entertain us. However this constant use and constant state of energy use puts a drain on our resources and a drain on our wallets. Climate Savers Computing mission is to raise awareness about energy use and to provide tips, tricks and solutions to the home, businesses and schools on how they can cut back on their energy use.

The site provides very easy to use information on how to set the power settings on your computer based on your operating system. There is also information on other ways to go green with your computer through computer recycling and other programs. One of the coolest features is the downloads section where you can download different types of cost-saving calculators that can be use as teaching tools.

So why not save a little green by going green. Check out Climate Savers Computing.

Climate Savers Computing

Image Courtesy Flickr Creative Commons