APS: Natural & Renewable Resources

Especially today!

Hi all,

Happy Earth Day to you all!

Many great things are happening around our community today to celebrate what we all have in common: The Earth!

Follow our students efforts and even upload your own photos using the hashtag #everydayisearthday @apsgreenstars

Here's some EARTH DAY Celebrations in action:

• Vista Peak Exploratory is honoring Earth Day with a school-wide effort to collect plastic bags to recycle. Last year students collected more than 6,000 bags. Can they double it this year?
  
• 9NEWS will be visiting Aurora West College Prep Academy to highlight the CHOICES Club efforts to reduce food waste at the school through their innovative Food Donation Initiative.
• Gateway High School's Environmental Club will be out in full force cleaning up the school grounds and surrounding neighborhoods for the first annual "Gateway Cares Day" starting from 8am-10:30am

"Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." -United Nations 1987

The innovative AuSSI-SA focus on sustainability (an Australian Curriculum "Cross-Curriculum Priority") aims to support student and community learning to create more sustainable lifestyles.

Check out more information about the AuSSI-SA model here http://www.sustainableschools.sa.edu.au/pages/wholeschool/33565/?reFlag=1

• Congratulations to Crawford Elementary's Green Team! All members of the club earned the Creation badge this week for their work on a PSA about paper towel waste!

Here's to another week of project based learning, environmental education, and going green!

Julie

jenorth@aps.k12.co.us

ext. 28668

Mobile: 720-400-3148

"Efficiency is doing better than what is already being done."

-Peter Drucker

Every action counts!

So get your students out there to remind teachers and staff to conserve and reduce!

All of these great efforts add up over time.

More than $500,000 has been calculated in savings for energy conservation and you and your student's efforts are a big contribution!

Buildings account for 38% of the USA's carbon emissions.

You know the saying, "April showers bring May flowers," but along with May comes warmer weather too!

Air conditioning uses a TON of energy is really unnecessary (we live in Colorado after all)

Please consider opening a window or door before requesting the air conditioning to be increased.

Reduce, Reuse, and Recycling is only the beginning!

More than 93% of our district's trash is FOOD WASTE.

New for 2016-2017 is the Composting in the Cafeteria Program and an innovative partnership with We Don't Waste for schools to donate uneaten/unopened food to benefit shelters and food banks.

Interested in becoming a participant in one or both programs?

Email Julie at jenorth@aps.k12.co.us

Made by Milk

Reuse school's empty milk cartons to build sculptures and compete in a Nation-wide Competition to earn cash incentives

Carton 2 Garden

Reduce, reuse, recycle and UPCYCLE! Milk cartons are great containers for growing plants, veggies, flowers and teachable moments!

"Growing a garden isn't about being poor. It's ok to thrive and have abundance, so when a local grocery store closes, we don't care."

-Principal Atasha James, Leckie Elementary School, Washington, D.C.

With the recent approval of AWCPA's Innovative Status, the school's Science Department in partnership with the school's CHOICES Club is in the process of reclaiming this old tennis court to promote project & place-based learning models.

We'll keep you posted on the program's progress and share best practices as they are developed by students, for students.