8 Ways To Celebrate Earth Day At School

Many thousands of schools around the world will participate in Earth Day activities during the month of April. The possibilities are endless! What are YOUR classroom & school doing for Earth Day?

1. Address a local or global environmental problem in class. In small groups, have each group brainstorm and decide on an environmental issue to investigate. Then instruct them to conduct research on the problem. Have each group report their findings to the class, including any possible solutions identified.
2. Do an environmental survey. How much and what kind of energy, paper, and cleaning supplies are used monthly at your school? How much water is consumed? How much waste, and what type of waste, is generated? Identify ways your school can reduce its use of energy and other resources. Report your findings to school administrators.
3. Get creative! Have students write poetry, create art, or develop dramatic presentations on environmental themes.
4. Expose your students to environmental issues. Invite a speaker to come and talk about environmental issues, and assign students projects ahead of time that relate to the subject of the presentation.
5. Adopt a local park, stream or beach, and clean it up. Or organize a clean-up day near your school.
6. Set up an organic garden at your school. Make sure to incorporate a compost pile for biodegradable garbage (no meat!) When it turns to compost, use it in the garden.
7. Develop an environmental policy for your school. This is best as a collaborative effort among students, teachers and other staff. Have the principal officially launch the policy on Earth Day.
8. Create a community green map. Your map should highlight all of the environmental assets in your community (such as parks, recycling centers, farmers' markets, public transit stations, etc).