Most Alaskan students are on Spring Break this week, and I know the teachers will have to deal with some energetic students on Monday! St. Patrick’s Day is always associated with lots and lots of green – you can channel some of that fever from your students with some eco-green tips. The National Energy Education Development Project (NEED) put together a list of things you can do to go green on St. Patrick’s Day. And while these won’t apply to most of you before St. Patrick’s Day, they still are good ideas to implement year-round:
- Decorating the classroom for the holiday? Use recyclable materials!
- Have windows in your classroom? If it’s too warm, close the blinds. If it’s chilly, let that sunshine in!
- Be sure to keep air vents and returns free of office supplies, files, crafts, books, and students. A blocked air vent must work harder to heat or cool the room and return fresh air.
- Invest in smart power strips to prevent phantom loads. Many electronics continue to use power even when turned off. smart strips can detect and shut off the power completely to unused devices.
- Similarly, power down computers and tablets when not in use. Screensavers look nice, but still consume energy. Try setting a sleep mode if inactive for more than 10 minutes.
- Designate a student to be the light monitor who oversees and ensures lights are switched off when leaving a room.
- Have your students bring a refillable water bottle to class instead of purchasing from vending machines or buying bottled water from the cafeteria.
- Look around your classroom. What do you see? Posters? Notebooks? Cardboard boxes? Textbooks? Bulletin boards decorated with construction paper? You get the picture. Paper is everywhere! Paper is the number one material that we throw away. Make sure your classroom is set up with a paper recycling bin.
NEED also recommends an activity around this topic – they have one called “America’s Most Wanted Energy Wasters” which can be found in their free PDF “Energy Games and Icebreakers” at shop.need.org. You can also explore AK EnergySmart’s lessons, such as “Phantom Load Detective” for K-2nd graders, “Energy Pathways Reader’s Theater” for 3rd-5th graders, “Be an Energy Star” for 6th-8th graders, or “My Daily Energy Use” for 9th-12th graders.
Read more tips that are specific to Alaska in our blog post from the beginning of the school year here, or about recycling and energy, including resources in Anchorage and the Mat-Su, here.
