Kristen von Hoffmann to present at Women In Leadership Conference @ Yale Law School

Monday, October 5th, 2009

Kristen von Hoffmann, founder and president of Greenfox Schools, has been invited to present a workshop and speak on a panel at this year’s Women in Leadership Conference hosted by Yale Law School on Saturday, October 24th, 2009.

Kristen’s workshop is entitled “Social Entrepreneurship in a Green World: Taking Initiative,” and will engage young women who are interested in becoming leaders in the emerging green economy. The Workshop will examine the overarching themes of globalization, social justice and environmental sustainability as well as discussing the details of how to start a green business.

Issues such as funding, networking, women supporting women, men and women supporting each other in business, operations, and budgeting will be included. The Workshop will be highly visual and interactive, allowing participants to engage in two colorful activities that relate to exploring individual’s strengths and interests. Kristen will also talk about her work with the U.S. Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development, for which she serves on a fifteen-person K-12 Sector Team that examines current sustainable education policy at a national level.

Kristen will also serve on a panel at the Conference, “Women in the Public Sector: Education Policy,” where she will share her viewpoints on education reform, sustainability in education, and emotional learning.

A Feeling of Universality

Monday, September 28th, 2009

During the second week of school this year I took my 5th grade class on a 3-day camping trip to Project Adventure in Beverly, Massachusetts.

Project Adventure is a company that is known for its exciting ropes courses and climbing challenges, and every year myself and a few other teachers bring the 5th and 6th grades to Project Adventure for 3 days of community-building.

On the afternoon of Day One I found myself trying to balance on a large wooden plank with half of my class and one of our guides. Heavy, jolted movements caused the plank to tip one way or the other and I noticed that when we bent our knees it helped us to balance, versus standing upright. After 15 frustrating minutes, the plank continued to tip on its fulcrum and touch the ground as we all moved around.

Our guide told us that to achieve balance would mean that no sides of the octagonal plank would be touching the ground. It was hard for me to imagine how this might be possible, since several people on the plank were absorbed in their own movements and not paying attention to the group dynamic.

Suddenly, one of my students raised his hand.

“I have an idea,” he said. Our guide got everyone’s attention.

“What’s your idea?” he asked.

“Why don’t we all hold hands and stand with our heels closer to the edge?” he answered.

There was some snickering and eye-rolling as my fifth graders considered the idea of holding hands, but before I knew it, we were all linked together and shuffling backwards towards the perimeter.

When we got there, another student spoke. “How about we shuffle one step to the right in a clockwise direction as we hold hands, to keep up the momentum,” she said.

The transformation was amazing. In one gentle movement it felt as though the plank lifted off the ground and that we were hovering in the air, low to the ground. I took in the sight of everyone holding hands and felt the lightweight sensation of the plank in balance as we moved together. It was awesome.

The experience is one that stands out in my mind and will not be forgotten. It was a powerful metaphor for the way in which we can achieve balance in our own lives when we work on it together. Likewise, when one person is self-absorbed, connection breaks down because they don’t notice what’s going on around them.

Without a doubt, the plank touched the ground and got unbalanced a few more times. But we had found a way to keep the plank more or less successfully balanced, and when I looked around the circle at my students’ faces, they were smiling.

I think this experience can also be applied to the larger question of sustainability that Greenfox Schools seeks to address in educational settings. It is necessary to recognize the interconnectedness of all living things on our planet, and to realize that this is why we need to implement long-term environmental solutions in schools that benefit the environment and teach our children how to be stewards of the earth.
Thanks for reading.

-Kristen von Hoffmann

Education Reform: Emotional Learning

Monday, August 24th, 2009

Think back to grades 3 through 12. What dominated your thoughts as you sat at lunch? In algebra class? Waiting for the bus? The answer for most people I talk to is always the same: “I was thinking about other people and myself.”

I would venture to say this is true of our experience as adults as well, as we continually process emotions at work when developing relationships with colleagues, or thinking about the relationships we have at home with family.

As a teacher I observe that students focus on subject matter to varying degrees, but it is clear that children’s happiness as human beings depends significantly on their ability to have successful relationships with other people. The same is true for adults. Why, then, have we failed to bring explicit emotional learning into mainstream education?

A place to start might be to ask: what is the function of K-12 education in America? Education as it now stands in our country functions to prepare children for the careers they will assume in society as adults, and so we teach them the intellectual skills necessary to be successful in the workforce. Math, reading, writing, science and history teach children the skill sets they need to organize and manage jobs relevant to these subject areas.

Aside from a handful of progressive programs and schools on the fringe, our education system has remained relatively unchanged for the past 50 years, which is ironic given the rapid pace at which the world is globalizing around us.

I agree that academic excellence is of great importance because it enables us to train a workforce that fuels our economy and serves as an integral part of our society.

What I advocate for is a greater vision: a significant reform in our country’s education system that puts emotional learning on par with academic excellence. I believe that we can have both, and that to do so would result in a nation of adults who are much happier individuals, and an economy that is strengthened because of it.

The reason emotional learning results in happier individuals is because it allows people to gain a self-awareness that provides stability. The confidence in knowing oneself—fears, weaknesses and strengths, allows a person to better communicate their needs to others, and allows a person to better understand the needs of another individual. In the classroom, one example I have found to be transformative is helping children feel comfortable exposing a mistake they have made, rather than covering it up.

Emotional learning in schools would not teach children how they should feel, because that is up to an individual to determine. Rather, emotional education would teach children the explicit communication skills needed to gain self-awareness and to communicate joy and pain to other people in order to build stronger relationships.

Connecting to other people to build strong cooperative relationships is essential to teaching sustainability now and in the future, and for this reason as well, emotional learning belongs at the core of our education system.

-Kristen von Hoffmann

A Big Thank You

Monday, July 27, 2009

Thank you to our sponsors, writers, and editors of Greenfox Kids Magazine, a teaching resource on environmental sustainability for grades 4-8, with articles, lessons and games for classrooms and libraries.

Our first issue featured an article on the environmental impact and lifecycle of food products; an interview with Janie Katz-Christy, Director of the Green Streets Initiative; vocabulary keywords including “globalization,” “sustainability,” and “economy;” solar panel math problems, a word search game, and more.

A big thank you to the following individuals and companies:

Our Sponsors:

CitySprouts

The EarthSavers Gang

Little Bits Recycled

Greenward

Paradice Ice Packs

People Powered Machines

SolSolution

Our Greenfox Editorial Team:
Kevin Y. Lee, Creative Director
Patrick John Morris, Business Relations
Soren Harrison, Dan Riles, Camille Stevens, Writers
Janie Katz-Christy, Green Streets Initiative, Greenfox5 Hero
Puritan Press, Publisher
Brooke Beebe, Ashlee Martinez, Kyla O’Neill, Public Relations

Other News

Cambridge Montessori School

Greenfox gave a workshop this spring at Cambridge Montessori School, presenting to the CMS Green Up Committee. Notes from the lecture for public viewing can be found by clicking here.

Green Decade Cambridge

Greenfox was invited to present to Green Decade Cambridge, an organization of Cambridge residents concerned about global warming and taking action locally.

Greenfox spoke to the group about the Greenfox5: Energy, Waste Disposal, Food, Products, and Greenspace, and discussed its applicability to Cambridge Public Schools. More information on Green Decade Cambridge can be found by clicking here.

Facebook and Twitter

Check out Greenfox on Facebook and Twitter !

ExCL (Extras for Creative Learning)

If you are a teacher or involved in K-12 education in the Boston area, be sure to check out ExCL over the summer for excellent recycled supplies and materials for your classroom.

New White Paper
Kristen von Hoffmann co-authored a working paper entitled “Internationally Sustainable Education for the 21st Century” with June Gorman, Education Chair for the United Nations Association of the USA.

Both are members of the K-12 Steering Committee for the U.S. Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development.

Thank you for reading, and have a great summer.

-Kristen von Hoffmann

Make Hay While the Sun Shines

Monday, June 29, 2009

When school lets out everyone sighs a collective breath, and as a teacher I can relate to the feeling of relief that arrives when the end-of-year frenzy gives way to slower summer days.

Summer, while a time of rest and relaxation, is also a time of planning for every school community: refreshing the classroom curriculum and budgeting for the fiscal year.

Summer is a great time to think about ways to green your school for the upcoming year, and to prepare a budget—whether for your classroom or school—that allows for sustainable consumer choices, environmental curriculum development, and environmental upgrades.

Below, Greenfox offers a few suggestions to get started this summer for those of you in the education field:

Administrators

o    Budget for areas of environmental improvement in any or all of the Greenfox5 areas:

Greenfox5
-Energy
-Waste Disposal
-Food
-Products
-Greenspace

o    Create a sustainability pledge based on the Greenfox5 that your school community signs together (this pledge can be voluntary or required)

Teachers

o    Add an environmental piece to your curriculum, or develop an existing one. Environmental teaching can be woven into nearly any subject, including science, math, social studies, and language arts.

o    Create a classroom “green team” that will be responsible for environmental endeavors in the classroom, such as turning off lights when the class leaves the room, collecting food at meal time for the composter, collecting recyclables at the end of the day, etc.

o    When buying classroom supplies, budget for eco-products, such as recycled content lined paper, folders, journals, and pencils.

o    Brainstorm an environmental community-service effort with your class such as collecting recyclables to raise money for tree planting, collecting and recycling cartridges to raise money for your school, or working with your neighborhood to pick up litter.

o    Work together with other faculty or parents to implement recycling programs, composting systems, and environmental programs.

Parents

o    Ask your child’s teacher how you can be of assistance with any green or environmental initiatives in the classroom.

o    Work together with faculty and administration to implement recycling programs, composting systems, and environmental programs, or to create a “Green Committee” at your child’s school.

o    When buying school supplies for your child, budget for eco-products, such as re-usable lunchboxes and sandwich wrappers, recycled content lined paper, folders, journals, and pencils.

o    Set up a clean-air carpool or bike group that will commute to school in the fall.

Students

o    Have fun and enjoy nature! The first way to help the environment is to care about it. Have a wonderful summer!

-Kristen von Hoffmann

Fear and Optimism about the Environment

Monday, April 27, 2009

I was at a recent meeting for an environmental organization where someone brought up the term “state of emergency” to describe global warming. The organization talked about the possibility of declaring a “state of emergency” in order to get something done about energy use in their city. Some people stood behind it, while others felt it was too drastic.

At the time, I listened and didn’t state my opinion, and I enjoyed learning about people’s different perspectives on the issue. I do not know whether or not the term would be appropriate for purposes of public interest and public policy, but I would agree that our planet is in an environmental state of emergency.

For some, it can be easy not to recognize the extent to which our environment is in danger unless one has personal ties to drastic situations. For example, cancer clusters possibly caused by chemical Superfund sites, slash-and-burn deforestation, or the breaking off of an iceberg. The examples I’ve cited seem so extreme that it can be difficult to connect them to our lives. And yet, Superfund chemical sites occur in our own hometowns, and people drive cars emitting carbon dioxide daily.

The type of environmental degradation occurring today as a result of a century’s worth of degradation is generally insidious rather than explicit, so I can further understand why people would hesitate to use a term as alarming as “state of emergency.”

But what if we were to look closer to home? What if we were to look, simply, at the rate at which land is being developed in our own towns?

Take a moment to notice how many “land for sale” signs you see on the side of the highway the next time you are driving. What is your reaction?

Unless we pay attention, our daily routines do not necessarily cue us into the harm that is taking place. It might be true that for people who recognize the level of degradation, every day is a conscious “tuning in” to what is happening to the environment.

The complexity and depth to which the environment is intertwined in our lives can feel intimidating, and as a result it may be hard to conceptualize the idea of positive change. One thing we aim for in teaching the Greenfox5 is creating order out of chaos, and providing a roadmap for change.

Related to K-12 education in particular, it is important that the facts of environmental degradation are presented thoughtfully to children, with attention to the appropriate age-level, and again, with an emphasis on making a positive connection to the environment.

What I’d like to propose is developing an awareness about the environment rooted in personal connection and optimism. With a personal connection, empathy develops, and a willingness to change that was not there before.

I propose identifying what is important to you personally (for example, it might be the people you care about) and identifying those things born out of the environment that you like (for example, food).

How do we become aware of these things? By making a point to slow down once a day or once a week, and become mindful. Out of such mindfulness we develop a sense of connection.

Maybe it will take the implementation of the term “state of emergency” to get the ball rolling in some places. Maybe it will be a long time before such is declared. The answer to changing our daily behaviors is not through fear alone, but through feeling connected.

-Kristen von Hoffmann

Schools As Community-Educators: The Power of Teaching Sustainability Education

Monday, December 8th 2008

Kristen von Hoffmann at the United States Green Building Council Educator's Summit, November 2008.

I recently had the opportunity to attend the international United States Green Building Council (USGBC) Educator’s Summit in Boston on November 21st. I was particularly moved by the keynote address given by Dr. Debra Rowe, President of the U.S. Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development, which convenes mainstream leaders and catalyzes sustainability initiatives. It was a rare occasion to hear someone speaking about sustainability in such an intelligent way. Dr. Rowe had clearly examined sustainability from every possible angle, and knew what she needed to say to get the important points across. “You are in a unique and important position to create a sustainable future. We couldn’t imagine doing it without you,” she repeated.

Kristen von Hoffmann and Dr. Debra Rowe, President of the U.S. Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development, USGBC Educator's Summit, November 2008.

I left the summit with a sense of clarity on several issues, and I left inspired.

As schools, we have a responsibility to make sustainability education a top priority, because we educate both our students and our communities. You have to visualize the network of influence a single school empowers.

In my mind, a school is like a star, emitting powerful light that spreads across great distances both through time and space, convening its own orbit and solar system. I have only to think of the school I attended in nursery through 5th grade, the Montclair Cooperative School, and I am indebted to the countless ways my teachers allowed me to grow into the person I am today.

Schools touch children within, and in doing so, the families of those children; parents who go out into the world every day with values and ideals that are hugely inspired by what their children have to say.

I feel fortunate to be running a company and teaching part-time. In many ways, I can’t imagine not teaching, because I draw on the energy and light from my students daily: it is their enthusiasm for the curriculum I teach that inspires me in my business. I get to experience first-hand the power of teaching sustainability education, watching my students’ excitement and growth from week to week, and imagining what kinds of positive change they will command in the future.

I wake up and think: my students are our future law-makers, parents, consumers, ambassadors, and educators. We have such an important role as teachers in nurturing students’ sense of self and their ability to relate to each other and the environment.

The success of our future is embedded in our ability to recognize our interconnectedness as a global community. We are no longer separate floating entities. We are all responsible to each other, and our success in sustaining the earth will require sustainability initiatives at every level—domestic, town, state, federal, and global. This is a movement and a transformation that requires us to educate our children with the facts of the world; but of equal importance, to teach them strong interpersonal skills.

Happy Holidays.

-Kristen von Hoffmann

The photos below provide snapshots from 2007-2008 of sustainable curriculum and environmental systems that Greenfox has designed and implemented at schools over the past year.

I. LEARNING ABOUT TREES

Students below learn about the science and environmental benefits of trees, including anatomy, carbon impact, and tree species. The children collect their own tree seeds from various sources, then watch them grow over the course of several weeks. Greenfox designed a sustainable growing program with zero net waste: the seed trays are old pizza boxes, water used is from a rainwater collector, and the “watering-cans” are actually used plastic bottles where students have poked holes in the cap.

Students draw from a rainwater collection barrel. They will use this water to nourish their growing seedlings.

Students examine tree seeds they will soon plant.

Old pizza boxes are re-used as seed trays.

A glass jam jar is re-used to water seeds.

A sustainable "watering-can" or used plastic soda bottle with holes poked in the cap. It can be recycled after full use.

II. DESIGNING LEED-CERTIFIED BUILDINGS

Students below design United States Green Building Council LEED-Certified Building Models. They first learn about the requirements of LEED building development, then integrate math manipulatives, drawing, and creative design to work in teams to build hands-on structures for a simulated classroom competition.

Later in the year, they advance to a harder challenge of designing a LEED-certified sustainable school. They must all work together and decide among themselves how they will break into groups to tackle the design of various parts of the school building and campus. The sustainable school is complete with LEED points, as well as Greenfox5system requirements. The models below were showcased by Greenfox Schools at last year’s “Down:2:Earth Sustainability Expo” in Boston, MA.

Students build the first level of the central school building.

Building construction. Students use math manipulatives and blocks to measure and build.

A student uses hundreds-blocks to build.

Becoming adept with tools such as a hammer and screwdriver, this 5th grader takes apart a used clementine-box which he will incorporate into the school building model.

Re-using tissue paper scraps to build the school's rooftop garden.

Using geometric shapes as solar panel arrays.

Building another kind of solar device.

Students make a list of building and system requirements for LEED and Greenfox5

Rooftop garden, part of the "Greenfox5: Greenspace" requirement.

Drawing an architectural sketch for the school's athletic fields.

A peek inside the second floor: students have met the "Greenfox5: Waste Disposal" requirements by setting up recycling, composting, biodegradable products, and organic food.

A model of the school's sustainable gymnasium.

Sustainable athletic fields.

III. A SUSTAINABLE CLASSROOM

Students are committed to maintaining a sustainable classroom throughout the year. The children adhere to various chores and infrastructures to do so; they follow the Greenfox5as a way to organize their efforts.

Students study the importance of natural light, as it requires less reliance on electricity.

Safely unplugging electrical devices and computers at the end of each day is a daily requirement for this classroom. This prevents "phantom" energy from being used during hours when school is not in session.

This classroom also has timed light-sensors, which switch off classroom light when people are not in the room. Nevertheless, students are conscious of turning off the lights when leaving.

This classroom uses non-toxic, eco-friendly cleaners without harmful fumes.

This classroom recycles paper and cans/bottles daily.

Greenfox provides curriculum and teaching that incorporates learning about mathematics and solar panels.

Mini-Series 4: The Sustainable Classroom: Composting

Monday, November 10th 2008

When we think about the Greenfox Five: Energy, Waste Disposal, Food, Products, and Greenspace, we realize this is a holistic approach to changing a school because it promotes whole-change sustainability.

A school, however, may decide to take one small step toward change, which is valuable nonetheless. Different schools have different budgets, resources, and space for change, necessitating unique approaches for each school.

A school with a smaller budget may want to start in the Greenfox Five category of Waste Disposal, where they can start by implementing a composting program designed by Greenfox. A composting program provides great opportunities for student leadership and curriculum building.

Greenfox can provide the system strategy (how the program will be implemented) as well as the products needed to set up the program (composter, pails, recycling bins, etc).

Finally, don’t forget that becoming a green school is a progressive way of thinking about building design, systems implementation, and education, and therefore creates a competitive marketing edge for your school.

Composting at Your School: Let’s Get Started

What is Compost?

Compost is a rich, heated soil mixture containing rotted organic matter, raw materials, and billions of organisms. Four essential elements for a healthy heap include air, moisture, carbon, and nitrogen. A compost needs a balance of wet green materials (nitrogen-rich) and dry brown materials (carbon-rich).

Greenfox Composting Program for Schools

-The general system implementation for a composting program at a school requires that each classroom be responsible for collecting its own food scraps and depositing them in the main composter located outside. If the school has a cafeteria, there will be a compost bin set up for collection inside the dining hall.

-If collection occurs by classroom, then each classroom will have a tin pail or all-purpose bucket to collect food scraps after snack and lunch.

-One or two students in the class should be assigned the job of composting duty or “composter” on a daily or weekly basis, depending on your class structure.

-This student(s) will be responsible for taking the tin pail outside and depositing the food scraps into the main composter after lunchtime. Likewise, in a cafeteria student leaders or kitchen staff will be responsible for emptying the composting bin outside after mealtime.

The composter may be a sectioned heap, or a tumble-turn barrel composter. The pile must be turned at least once a week, if not daily. There must be a balance between wet green and dry brown materials, and materials should be piled loosely. Raw material such as leaves and twigs can be shredded, and there must be a good amount of air.

Benefits of Composting

-waste diverted from landfills, oceans, and incinerators
-less carbon dioxide used
-richer soil
-helps soil retain water close to roots
-helps feed plants even in droughts
-healthier, stronger plants

What Can Go in the Composter?

Food
vegetables
fruits
egg shells
nuts
teabags
coffee grinds
bread/carbohydrates
minimal amount of meat/dairy
corn husks

Other Raw Materials
grass clippings
old plants
twigs
weeds
leaves
newspapers
wood ash
woodchips
bark
sawdust
vacuum dust
feathers
straw
hair
seaweed
manure (excrement from herbivores)

What Not to Put in the Composter

Food
greasy meats
bones
fatty food wastes (oil, mayo, peanut butter)

Other Raw Materials
human or pet excrement
diseased products
coal or charcoal ash

Signs of Healthy Compost
-deep black-brown color
-earthy smell
-moist, not wet
-hot/heated
-crumbly texture
-pH between 6.0-7.4 (neutral-slightly acidic)

Science Behind Composting: Decomposition

The process of decomposition can be broken down into five stages:
-oxidation
-reduction
-degradation
-conversion
-maturation

When to Spread Compost

Compost can be spread around lawns, fruit trees, shrubs, trees, flower beds, vegetable gardens, seedlings, and potted plants during the spring and summer, and turned into the ground during the fall and winter.

Together, we are making a positive change by reducing the amount of garbage we generate and reducing our carbon footprint as schools. Way to go!

-Kristen von Hoffmann

Mini-Series 3: Introducing Sustainability in the Classroom

Tuesday, September 16th 2008

A great way to introduce sustainability is to start by thinking about waste, and the natural resources that are used to make a product, or “object.”

In a speech I gave at the Bikes Not Bombs Green Festival in June 2008, I defined sustainability as “a human system that runs for a long time on practice and behavior that has minimal impact on the natural environment.”

Below, we provide a great exercise to do with your class to help introduce the concept of sustainability to your students, and to find individual ways that your own classroom can become a green space.

1. Start by writing down the four following categories on the board:

Plastic, Wood, Metal, Food

with the header “How do we create waste at our school?”

2. Ask your students to brainstorm all the objects they can think of for each category by looking around the classroom from their seat. Compile their answers on the board. Then, open up a discussion. Some talking points are:

-where have these objects come from?
-what natural resource may have been used to make this object?
-where will it end up, and how soon?
-can this object be re-used or recycled instead of thrown away?

Explain that some objects may have a shorter “lifespan” than others, but that eventually all objects end up as garbage unless they are recycled or re-used.

*For example, a banana or a sheet of paper is often used just once, but a table can be used for years. However, a table and paper often derive from the same natural resource: trees.

Another way to imagine the path an object in the classroom has traveled is to create a visual flowchart, with the name of the object in the center of the board, and lines before and after the word, connecting it to other words.

*For example, if the word is “table” the flowchart might connect to words such as “tree” “gas needed to transport wood” “factory” “people turning wood into paper” “gas from factory” “lights to power factory” “gas needed to transport paper to office supply store” “classroom” “incinerator” and “recycling center.”

3. After a class discussion, have your students think critically about ways they can minimize their own individual impact on natural resources by recycling objects in some of the categories, through composting, or other means of re-using or saving materials.

*For example, students might suggest composting their food waste every day to make less garbage, to use the backs of used paper as scrap paper, to start using a fabric lunch-bag instead of a paper one, and others. You may very well find your students coming up with highly original, creative ideas!

In general, this exercise allows both the teacher and students who examine their surroundings, to understand the concept of sustainability vs. waste, and to implement positive changes to create a green classroom. The exercise is rooted in the idea of a heightened sense of awareness that allows students and teachers to better understand themselves, and the world around them, and so to make informed decisions.

Example of Objects in the Classroom for Each Category

1. General: Plastic
Specific:
*sandwich wrappers/baggies
*spray/cleaning bottles and containers
*lunch bags
*plastic wrap
*utensils/plates/cups
*chips bags
*water/drink bottles
*yogurt containers
*binders/folders
*disposable coffee lids
*trash bags
*trash containers
*lunch boxes (re-usable)
*lunch Tupperware containers (re-usable)
*bookmarks
*pencil boxes
*homework/file trays
*laminator plastic
*lesson/math materials (k’nex, legos, cubes)
*water dispensers (re-usable)
*computers/keyboards/mice/printer/hard drives
*phones
*radios
*clock
*tape
*clips, paperclips
*pens
*markers
*chair feet
*whiteboard
*light switches
*fire alarm
*dvd cases, book covers
*recorders, seed bins

2. General: Wood
Specific:
*furniture
*tables
*shelves
*chairs
*desks
*doors
*lockers/cabinets
*pizza boxes
*corkboard/bulletin board
*pencil shavings
*pencils
*cardboard packaging
*paper plates
*drink cartons
*scrap paper
*lined paper
*computer paper
*lesson materials: wooden math cubes
*envelopes/mailing materials
*paper lanterns/lights
*newspaper
*magazines
*paper bags
*books
*rulers
*cardboard recycling bins
*journals
*folders
*files
*textbooks
*folder-holders
*pads, post-its
*posters
*maps
*woven baskets
*paper towels
*toilet paper
*tissues
*napkins
*clothespins
*art paper/watercolor/colored
*handles of paint brushes
*coffee cups
*color cards
*playing cards
*egg cartons
*stickers
*photographs
*frames
*popsicle sticks
*string

3. Metal
*table legs
*frames around dry-erase board
*fans
*screws, small parts
*tables
*paper-holders

4. Food
*lunch waste
*snack waste

-Kristen von Hoffmann

Mini-Series 1: The Sustainable Lunchbox

Wednesday, August 13th 2008

As a child, one of the most exciting back-to-school moments for me was having a new lunchbox for the first day of school. When I was four years old my lunchbox was purple with rainbow hearts, and I treasured it. The first sustainable choice you’ll want to make is choosing a lunchbox because it can be re-used daily.

As adults, the process of making lunch for children in the morning can be difficult as it is. Transitioning into a sustainable mode can be very easy, and we want to show you how.

Greenfox Schools breaks the sustainable lunch into three categories:

I. Sustainable Packaging

I recommend choosing a lunchbox, and lunch items like silverware and sandwich wrappers, that can be cleaned and re-used. An excellent online resource is www.reusablebags.com, and we provide other links to specific items on our checklist below:

Checklist

Lunchbox

Thermos/Reusable Bottles

Cloth sandwich wrapper

Silverware

Cloth Napkins

If you are still interested in buying disposable products, we recommend ones that are made from recycled materials, and are biodegradable, so that they can be recycled or placed into a compost bin.

Checklist

Recycled paper napkin

Recycled silverware/plates

Biodegradable silverware/plates

II. Sustainable Food

Choosing food that is organic, and/or locally grown, is healthier for your children and the environment. Organic foods have been shown to contain higher nutrient content, and organic farming methods work in harmony with nature, protecting natural habitats, wildlife, and waterways.

Organic Quickfacts

-Higher nutritional content than conventional food
-More vitamins and antioxidants
-More flavorful taste
-No pesticides
-No herbicides
-No GMO’s (genetically modified organisms)
-No hormones
-No antibiotics
-Supports small farms
-Supports locally grown food
-Supports organic farming communities
-Improves soil quality and builds topsoil
-Supports composting
-Supports reduced waste
-Supports reduced and renewable energy
-Saves water
-Supports natural wildlife habitats and microorganisms

Checklist

Organically grown

Locally grown

III. Sustainable Disposal

Composting is an excellent option because it diverts food waste from landfills and garbage incinerators, providing an earth-friendly option allowing organic materials to decompose without harming the environment.

Recycling is an excellent option because it diverts non-organic materials such as plastic, glass, and metal from landfills and garbage incinerators, providing an earth-friendly option allowing non-organic materials to be re-used.

It is important that there are recycling and composting options for lunch-time waste disposal at your child’s school. Greenfox Schools purchases recycling bins and composters, and sets up student-run systems at schools.

Checklist

Composter

Recycling bins

-Kristen von Hoffmann