NORWALK HIGH SCHOOL EARTH CLUBEarth Day April 22, 2010 was a great success!
Students and staff enjoyed exhibits and learned about the environment and what to do to improve our quality of life.
During our Mentor/Mentee meeting the students completed a Carbon Footprint and we compiled the average Carbon Footprint of the Average Norwalk High School Student. We have 4.7 biologically active acres available to support everyone on this planet. In the USA, we each use up an average of 22 acres per person. In Canada, they use 20 acres. In Pakistan, it is less than 2 acres. At Norwalk High School, the average student takes up 30.57 acres! to support themselves. We have a long way to go to lower our Carbon Footprint! In the coming weeks and months we will be focusing on efforts to learn how to lower our footprints. We all need to do our part.
The big push this year is on continuing the recycling measures in the High School and working on a Healthy Foods Initiative for the School Community. We are growing vegetables and herbs in the Green House for use in the Culinary Arts Department and we are putting our vegetable garden together at the Fodor Farm Community Garden. Anyone wishing to help in either venture please email or call Mrs Verel at 203-838-4481 ext 13252 or email at verelm@norwalkps.org.
We are looking to expanding our offerings and looking into renovating the Greenhouse and putting in raised vegetable gardens on our school grounds.
The campus cleanup will take place on May 22 this year. All staff and students are invited to come out and take part. It is sponsored every year by by the Social Studies Dept and the the Student Government. Bring your shovels, rakes, gloves and diggers. We are always looking for donations of soil, mulch and plants to beautify our school. See Mr Seaburg. Mr. O'Shaunessy or Mr Karl with donations. Lets all work on keeping it clean and green.! Thanks to the Student Government and the Social Studies Dept for all their efforts to make our Campus Cleanup so successful.
NCC has a new program they are offering called BEST Building Efficiency and Sustainable Technology Certificate Program. It prepares students for the new "green collar" jobs in sustainable building and energy efficiency testing and assessment. The state of Connecticut is using the $64.3 million in Federal Stimulus funding to expand building weatherization programs with the State. These jobs will contribute to lowering the carbon footprint of existing and new homes and buildings. It is a one year certificate program, For more information contact Eric Gribin: egribin@ncc.commnet.edu or visit the web at www.ncc.commnet.edu/aad/best
Another opportunity at Green Light Academy offers students grades 10-12 a four week summer experience on the grounds of Western Connecticut State University. The students are immersed in fun and learning activities in the science, technology and sustainable energy areas. Hands on real world applied learning aligned with a "green" curriculum including experiments, field trips solar, wind and Long Island Sound Aquatic life are a few of the offerings. For more information email info@greenlightacademy.org or see Mrs Verel.
Farmers markets and local vegetables will be here soon. Plant a garden, plant a tree, grow vegetables. Enjoy the summer. Eat shorter on the food chain for health, lower footprint and fun.
And remember: : recycle, reduce, repair, reuse, reinvent, react!
Your Earth Club
We are now recycling all paper and plastic in the classrooms and in the cafeteria. Trays, forks, milk containers and all paper and bottles and cans are being recycled in the cafeteria and in the classrooms.
Thanks to the combined efforts of Angelus Papageorge and the custodians, the Student Government, Earth club, Brown, Honor Society, Pay It Forward Club and many other student leaders and organizations as well as the leadership of Lenny Mecca, we are recycling most of our waste products. This will considerably lesson our cost of hauling our waste and perhaps bringing that money back to our school for the classes to use to lower costs of prom tickets etc. for the students. We are also lowering our carbon footprint and doing our part for the environment. We ask everyone to help do their part in making our recycling efforts a success.
In addition we are starting our vermiculture venture. The worms have arrived and they are happily munching on our vegetable and fruit food scraps! The cooking classes are utilizing the vermiculture to dispose of the vegetable/fruit waste and turn it into compost that we can use in our plantings and beautification projects. Anyone wishing information on how to set up and run this system in the home can call 838-4481 ext 13252 for more information. It is easy, and can be done just about anywhere with no odor and it is an easy way to produce wonderful natural fertilizer for home gardens.
