City of Tacoma - EnviroChallenger

Teacher Tips
Keep your classroom environmentally friendly with these tips and useful links.

The EnviroChallengers have put together some helpful tips and links to help your school save money while saving the environment!

Check out how to:

Recycle and Reuse
Buy and Use Less
Reduce Water Use
Prevent Pollution
Get Involved and Volunteer
Environmental books for kids
More links and Ideas

RECYCLE and REUSE

Collect all those little crayon bits that would normally be thrown away and melt them down to make super-size crazy crayons. Check out EnviroKids for easy to follow instructions.
Start a compost/worm bin to reduce food waste.
Don't throw away your old stove or couch! Sell large household goods on 2good2toss.com.
Donate your old clothes, appliances and toys to charities like Goodwill, Habitat for Humanity, Salvation Army, and local shelters.
RECYCLE! Many of the items that we normally throw away can actually be recycled. Used products like paper, plastics, glass, metal cans, pop cans, yard waste and even shoes can be made into new products instead of piling up in our landfills. You can even recycle your old electronics.

Buy and use less “stuff.” Buy products that don’t have a lot of packaging or wrappers.
Bring your lunch in a reusable container.
Buy in bulk – individual containers create more waste. For example, instead of buying juice boxes, make your own juice and pour it into a reusable container.
Reuse things over and over. Buy things you can reuse in the first place! When you go to buy something, check out used items at secondhand stores before you buy new.
Use both sides of paper before you recycle it.
Say no to junk mail.
Use cloth napkins instead of paper ones.
Waste Busters: Challenge your students to reduce the amount of trash being thrown out in your classroom. Create a classroom job for Resource Conservationists. The student serving in this role for the week or day is responsible for reminding others about waste reduction by recycling and reusing rather than throwing things away.
Be nice, use it twice. Put a box next to your desk for paper to be used again. Printing on the back side or using it for scratch paper will show your kids how to help the environment and save money.

Have your students bring reusable water bottles from home.
Take shorter showers.
Turn water off when brushing your teeth.
Reduce the amount of wastewater you create by running full loads of laundry, filling the bathtub halfway and not letting the sink water run unnecessarily.
Keep a pitcher of water in the refrigerator for a cold drink instead of running the faucet until its cool.

Ride your bike, walk, carpool or take the bus to get around town.
Pick up dog poop and throw it away.
Don’t litter.
Use safer alternatives like vinegar and lemon juice for household cleaning. Many cleaners and products you buy in the store are hazardous to human and animal health.
Reduce the amount of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides you use. Try natural alternatives in their places. Ladybugs gobble up aphids in your rose bed, TAGRO nourishes your plants and you build muscles when you pull the weeds yourself!
Wash your car on the grass or take it to a car wash instead of washing it in your driveway.

In Tacoma, there are a variety of ways to get involved in the community. Take a look at some local organizations and projects.

Citizens for a Healthy Bay: CHB gets people involved in cleaning up and protecting Commencement Bay. Check out their Web site for activities to get involved in such as Junior BayRanger, storm drain stenciling or tree planting.
Clean Bay Car Wash Kits: If you are doing a car wash fundraiser, be sure to use one of the City's Clean Bay Car Wash Kits. The kits help treat the wash water so it doesn't harm the environment.
Puget Creek Restoration Society: Help out with cleaning, restoring and protecting our local streams.
Curb Marking: To find already scheduled events, visit healthybay.org and click on the calendar link.

Check out a few more ideas on how to be a "Greener Teacher" with these informational sites.

Want to become a greener teacher?
http://www.greenteacher.com/
Pierce County Green Book - List of Environmental Education in Pierce County
http://www.co.pierce.wa.us/pc/services/home/environ/edmenu.htm
Reduce Waste: If not you, Who?
http://www.moea.state.mn.us/campaign/index.html
Decorate some grocery bags for Earth Day
http://www.earthdaybags.org/index.htm
FREE science and environmental student newsletters - and other great educator resources - all at The Frog!
http://www.thegreenfrognews.com/