Thank you, Heather Larson, for this terrific blog on the Go Green Initiative! (link to Heather's article: http://blog.wepay.com/2012/01/25/help-your-school-go-green/)

“It’s not enough to prepare our children for the future, we must also prepare the future for our children,” says Jill Buck, originator of the Go Green Initiative.

In 2002, when Buck served as PTA president of Walnut Grove Elementary in Pleasanton, California, she worried that not much was being done to conserve the planet. Through in-depth research she discovered that there were lots of single, pigeon-hole conservation programs, but not a one-stop-shop for what schools could do to be more environmentally friendly overall.

Buck, who later became the founding president of the Pleasanton PTA Council, decided to write an environmental education program she could share with her school and possibly other schools, as well. To date, she’s spoken at the PTA conventions in nine states, who have all have adopted the program.

The five pillars of the program are:

1. Generate compost – through basic composting and worm composting, children learn about ecology, biology and waste reduction
2. Recycle – repurposing items like paper, plastic, aluminum, cell phones and printer cartridges reduces toxic greenhouse gas emissions and conserves energy
3. Educate – schools serve as catalysts of desired behaviors for the community at large
4. Evaluate – assess every activity you plan for your school and consider the environmental impact of your decisions, purchases and actions
5. Nationalize responsible paper consumption (paper has its own pillar because schools consume so much of it) – manage paper use responsibly

PTAs and PTOs Role

First and foremost PTAs need to role model the behavior they want to see in their schools, says Buck. Do you send out a paper newsletter when you could just as easily send it in an email? Could you use both sides of a sheet of paper to send your news to parents? Do you throw environmentally-responsible events? Do you use paper cups instead of Styrofoam ones?

Buck said her school was able to save $10,000 in printing costs by conserving paper, which enabled them to hire a part-time art teacher with that money.

Always check with the principal before beginning a new program. Most practices will require his buy-in, which is always good to have no matter what you’re planning.

“Do some fact-finding and ask questions of your waste hauler or custodian and then take that information to your principal,” says Buck. “Sometimes recycling programs create less work for the custodian and sometimes more, so he needs to be brought in on the initial discussions.”

Be sensitive to what the teachers need. They are incredibly inundated with curriculum and standardized tests. Make going green a team effort and try to take the burden off the teachers whenever you can.

When you institute a campus recycling, offer to help with it. Have a parent volunteer show kids how to use the recycling containers – what to put in them and what not to.

Whatever action you choose to adopt first, take it slow and gradual to get the wrinkles ironed out and not overwhelm anyone.

“Always ask yourself ‘how is this action preparing the future for our children’ and make sure you have a good answer before continuing,” says Buck.