Should “Green” Be A Compulsory Part of K-12 Curriculum?
More and more school boards are finding ways to incorporate “green” in their kindergarten through grade 12 curriculum. Everything from energy conservation, recycling principles, to green architectural design is finding its way into the classroom. Field trips are also taking a green turn, with visits to environmentally specific specific sites and companies profiling their sustainable manufacturing practices becoming more frequent. Is the next logical step to formally incorporate green teachings into the K-12 curriculum? Below are some innovative initiatives that a variety of school boards have developed, some by developing partnerships with the private sector.
What happens when 400 students and 100 teacher and community volunteers join forces with more than 50 business leaders in the fields of architecture, construction, engineering, and facilities managers? Simple – an innovative green building curriculum! Developed by the Youth Learning Academy, a nonprofit in Charlottesville, VA, their signature program “Design + Build + Live Green” (DBL+G) curriculum fills a critical gap in field of green building education. This program opens the doors for under-resourced students to develop critical academic skills, vocational training and a drive to pursue green career paths. The curriculum focuses on the why and how of sustainable practice, and crosses the spectrum of academic engagement. Students gain hand-on experience with real-world construction projects while learning the business case behind the green building industry and market transformation. Hands-on student projects include designing Japanese style gardens, green doll and dog houses for Hurricane Katrina victims, or model green homes suited to different geographic regions. Learning both in the classroom and the field, the Youth Learning Academy exposes the future workforce to careers in environmental design, energy efficiency, land and site-use planning, or sustainable construction. A sure sign of success is when 67% of students express an interest in pursuing a career as an architect, engineer or construction professional. More information on the program can be found at http://youthlearningacademy.org/design-build-live-green-green4life.html.
Another recipient of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Recognition Award for 2008 is the Kentucky Green and Healthy Schools (KGHS) program. This program provides teachers with resources to use their existing school building as a teaching tool. This web-based program allows students and staff to make their schools greener as they play an active role in the management of school buildings and grounds. Students measure nine aspects of building performance ranging from energy efficiency to indoor air quality and green space management. The completion of inventories, as well as the planning and execution of improvement projects allow students a unique education experience and a greater sense of investment in their school. To ensure student success, KGHS requires all projects to meet their S.M.A.R.T requirements, guiding students to undertake projects that are: Specific, Measureable, Attainable, require Real work, and have a specific Timeline. For more information, please visit http://www.greenschools.ky.gov/
Beyond Benign brings green chemistry to the classroom. The curriculum and teacher training work of Beyond Benign (http://www.beyondbenign.org/K12education/kthru12.html) seeks to deliver teaching and learning tools to K-12 educators in order that they may share dynamic science experiences with their students with an emphasis on objective reasoning through the consideration of economy, society and the environment in equal measure. Through the framework of green chemistry, K-12 Education at Beyond Benign is able to explore curriculum content across the board with a view to the future and the sustainability of social, industrial, economic and environmental sustainability. Curriculum materials take an independent stance where students are put in the position of decision maker and scientific issues are put under a neutral microscope.
There are even schools which have made themselves green establishments. The Head-Royce school in Oakland California is one such example, with part of its mission to prepare global citizens, the Head-Royce School committed itself to being a Green School. Aware of the significant environmental challenges in this 21st century, the School strives to be a leader in demonstrating how to establish a more sustainable way of living. The institution’s Green Mission focuses on four broad areas: Sustainable Resources, Nutritional Food, an Ecological Curriculum, and a Healthy Environment. More private schools of this type are being established around the globe, why not make many of these initiatives an integral part of the public school system as well.
Short URL: http://www.mygreeneducation.com/?p=4643
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