If you Google "10 things you can do to save the planet" the results will produce a variety of Web sites that each yield a different list of "ten". To make it easy, the list below offers five suggestions that even the meekest eco-warriors among us can incorporate into their daily lives:
1.		Conserve Water: Do not leave the water running while you are brushing your teeth or shaving. Don't wash your car at home. Take it to a car wash, they are equipped to handle the run-off. Landscape your yard so it doesn't require frequent watering.
2.		Recycle: Fill up those blue bins. Take those plastic grocery bags back to the grocery store for recycling (Take a cloth bag with you next time). Make sure batteries are disposed of properly.
3.		Conserve Energy: Turn off lights and ceiling fans when you leave the room. Buy a broom, and a rake, and STOP using a leaf blower to remove the leaves from your driveway or lawn. If you miss the noise, record it on your iPod and play it back while you are sweeping the driveway. Buy energy-efficient products. (Look for the Energy Star rating.) Replace your incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents.
4.		Drive Less: Not everyone can go out and buy a new car that gets 40 mpg, but everyone can drive less. Consolidate trips. Get out of the habit of jumping into the car every time you get the urge. If your destination is within walking distance, then walk as often as you can.
5.		Talk to friends and family about 1-4. There is no need to become the family eco-snob. Just talk to people and ask them if they have changed any of their habits to help protect the environment. Half the battle is simply making people aware that they can make a difference.

What We Are Doing?

Sustainable Schools Committee
In September 2006, a Sustainable Schools Committee was formed to meet on a regular basis with the purpose of monitoring and making recommendations regarding sustainability within the school division. Members serving on this committee are school employees from the offices and departments of: Facilities Planning and Construction, School Plant, Custodial Services, Food Services, Transportation, Technology, Curriculum and Instruction, and Media and Communications Development.

Schools Recycle Cell Phones
Many of our schools serve as recycling collection points in the Virginia Beach community for used cell phones. The used cell phones are refurbished and shipped to countries outside the United States. Collecting and recycling cell phones creates a positive impact on the environment as the phones, constructed of toxic materials, do not end up in landfills. In addition to creating a positive impact on the environment, recycled cell phones serve as a fundraiser for schools.

In the Classroom
Recycling an average of 123 tons of material per month, the school division's expanded recycling program catapulted into full force in September 2006. Each of the school division's 4,500 classrooms is equipped with a recycling bin used for disposal of paper products, aluminum and steel, plastics, and glass. During the 2006-2007 school year, 859 tons of recyclable material was collected in these bins.

In the Cafeteria
Between 700,000 to 800,000 plastic milk containers referred to as "chugs" are recycled each month. With the start of the 2007-2008 school year, biodegradable hot and cold cups are being used in all school cafeterias.

In the Office
In addition to recycling products from the classroom, the school division is a champion of recycling office supplies such as paper products and printer cartridges. School division staff are currently researching the effectiveness and cost of carpet tile as opposed to conventional goods. Carpet tiles are less labor intensive, have a longer life expectancy, and allow the replacement of only the area that is damaged or is in need of replacement. Consequently, this reduces the cost to replace carpet throughout the school division. Read more about this initiative in the Winter 2008 issue of Green News .

On the Road
In September 2006, Virginia Beach City Public Schools became the largest bus fleet in the state to use biodiesel fuel. Two hundred of the school division's 600 buses are now using this cleaner-burning fuel. The fuel, made from renewable resources, reduces emissions and is more environmentally friendly. Long-term plans are in place to have biodiesel fuel available to the entire school bus fleet.

Green News
Since September 2006, the Department of Administrative Support Services has published a quarterly newsletter – Green News – that addresses the topic of sustainability as it relates to Virginia Beach City Public Schools. You can subscribe to an online version of this publication via vbschools x-tra.

Promoting Sustainability in Every School

Besides recycling paper and plastic products, each of the school division's 88 schools has an appointed Sustainable School Liaison, tasked with increasing sustainability awareness throughout the school division. Through their leadership, many of our elementary, middle, and high schools have developed programs or clubs to address the issue of sustainability.

Centerville Elementary
Centerville Elementary has established a Go-To Green Team composed of 5th graders charged with encouraging students and staff to be environmentally responsible. Go-To Green Team members developed a plan that includes the following initiatives:

• Cell Phone Recycling Program: The money generated from recycled cell phones will sponsor a program to purchase animals for families through the Heifer Organization. The mission of the Heifer Organization is to work with communities to end hunger and poverty and to care for the earth.
• Energy Patrol: The school’s Energy Patrol has developed a checklist of energy efficient practices for every classroom. Student members of the Energy Patrol make random checks around the building to encourage participation in energy conservation.
• Paper Conservation Committee: Students members of this committee track the quantity of paper used in the interest of reducing copy paper usage. The committee has developed tips on how to reduce dependency on copy paper.
• Recycling Committee: Members of this committee remind fellow students and staff members about the types of items that should be recycled in the blue recycle bins found in every classroom.

Christopher Farms Elementary
The school's PTA has addressed a variety of "green" initiatives at Christopher Farms Elementary . These activities have added to the school's emphasis on helping to save and appreciate the environment.

• Sponsored a logo contest for recycling creature. Posters were made of the winning logo and attached to the school's recycling bins.
• Secured additional recycling bins for copy rooms and cafeteria.
• Featured "green" news and tips in the school's PTA newsletter and Web site.
• Revitalized the school's butterfly garden by clearing overgrowth and adding new plants.
• Added new plants, flowers beds, and shrubs around the school building (donated by CFES families).
• Refurbished the school's Japanese fountain.
• Cleared the school's breast cancer memorial garden and prepared plots for planting.
• Hosted "Water Pirates" presentation on water conservation for K-5 students.

Hermitage Elementary
Hermitage Elementary principal Holly Coggin (left) and head custodian Raymond Hawkins with the school's plaque commemorating Hermitage Elementary as the first elementary school in Virginia to receive a LEED certification by the United States Green Building Council.

 

King's Grant Elementary
During the 2006-2007 school year, the King's Grant Elementary River Rulers, a club of 4th and 5th graders inspired by the Lynnhaven River Keepers Program are promoting a greener Lynnhaven River. Members of the club sign an agreement to be a Lynnhaven River Keeper and agree to follow 8 practices to help clean the Lynnhaven River.An educational area has been established by the library with watershed and topography maps and trivia concerning the Chesapeake Bay and its river.

New Castle Elementary
Since 2003, New Castle Elementary's after-school Ecology Club, composed of 5th graders, has focused its attention on Chesapeake Bay, Lynnhaven River, and the local watershed.

During the 2006-2007 school year, members of the Ecology Club participated in a year-long oyster restoration project. Each month, students visited the Virginia Aquarium to gather data on oysters and shared this information with the Oyster Reef Keepers of Virginia. The Ecology Club also maintains an aquarium in the school's main office. This aquarium contains fish and blue crabs that live on an oyster reef.

Students have conducted research in the library on the large number of species found in and around the Chesapeake Bay to include: ospreys, herons, oysters and crabs.

The Ecology Club sponsors a yearly Trivia Contest for one week. Fish facts are "schooled" together around the school corridors allowing students to find answers to daily questions.

Plaza Middle School
In the spring of 2007, Plaza Middle School 7th grade students initiated a grass roots effort to raise the awareness level of global warming after viewing the document An Inconvenient Truth. Students have researched relevant issues pertaining to global warming to include: the Kyoto Treaty, the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Act, and specific initiatives being undertaken by cities and schools nationwide.

Princess Anne Elementary
With the start of the 2007-2008 school year, the students and staff at Princess Anne Elementary, started a school-wide project to collect and recycle old cell phones. To date, over 100 phones have been collected. Proceeds from this event will benefit the Natural Resources Defense Council.

These are examples of how some of the schools in our division are addressing environmental sustainability. To learn more about how other schools are developing their own programs ranging from cell phone recycling to outdoor teaching gardens, subscribe to Green News.

School Construction

Hermitage Elementary
With the completion of Hermitage Elementary in the spring of 2005, this school has the distinction of becoming the first certified *LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) elementary school in the Commonwealth of Virginia. This environmental certification was awarded to Virginia Beach City Public Schools in November 2005 by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Hermitage Elementary School earned its Green Building Certification due to the many environmental amenities incorporated into the building and site design to include: special filters installed in the heating and cooling system; building materials that contain a percentage of recyclable elements; higher insulation values; structural design that promotes an abundant flow of sunlight; sinks and toilets with low-water usage; and the use of low VOC paints and floor adhesives with minimal odor.

*LEED recognizes achievements and promotes expertise in green building through a comprehensive system offering project certification, professional accreditation, training and practical resources.

Renaissance Academy
The Renaissance Academy will be Virginia Beach City Public Schools' new alternative education center serving students in grades 6-12. With a celebrated groundbreaking in October 2007, this project is slated to achieve a U.S. Green Building Council LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver rating. As of October 2006, only 60 schools in the whole country have a LEED building rating.

The Renaissance Academy will be the first building in our school division that will use rainwater reclamation for toilet flushing. A rainwater collection system will collect water from the roof and store it in a 50,000 gallon cistern so water can be used for flushing toilets. This will allow the school to save approximately 3.8 million gallons of treated water per year. Read more about the unique features that will be incorporated into the construction of this 285,000 square foot facility.

Conserving Energy in Our Schools and Offices

Conserving energy in our schools and offices not only saves money but is a savings to our environmental resources. With rising energy costs, it is more important than ever to "pitch" in and take an active role to conserve energy. For example, as a cost and energy savings measure, thermostats in all schools are set back to maintain the building at temperatures of no more than 65 degrees during the winter holiday break. Here are a list of suggestions that all staff have been asked to practice:

• Keep exterior doors closed.
• Turn off lights in spaces that are not used.
• Turn off computers when not in use.
• Use natural light when and where possible.

Have an idea for Virginia Beach City Public Schools that will save energy, conserve resources, or protect our environment?

Throughout the school year, staff will continue to explore various ways to save energy, conserve resources, and protect our environment. If you have an idea that could be implemented throughout the school division to support this initiative, contact sustainable schools project manager Tim Cole at j.tim.cole@vbschools.com.

Last Modified on Wednesday, March 26, 2008 Disclaimer • Site Map