hmmmm.....

since my new involvement in the school's eco-interests... I have become the "go to" girl for many questions.

My phone now rings.....

sometimes 4 times a day ( that is a lot~ when it never rings!)

parents and teachers from the school are all calling for advice, ideas, and input for a more greener environment/ school/home.

Our Science Fair is this Friday and they have decided to bring in the natural sciences and the environment of the Rain Forest.... The wanted to focus on a recycling effort towards that theme. So I got a phone call. A phone call that let me voice what I thought ( and yes, I have thoughts about it! if you know me, you know I have an opinion). I shared with them if we are going with the idea of the rain forest, how is our recycling changing that environment. I mentioned that the triangle of "greenness" is about Reducing, Reusing, and Recycling.... I believe that recycling has been drilled into everyone. We already know about recycling (or what I can down cycling). What we should be thinking about is reducing or reusing.... but in a culture set on purchasing, consumption and materials~ the values in reducing and reusing is not thought about.

Everyone recycles to some extent~ but not many reduce or reuse.

and it is in reducing and reusing that the rain forests can be saved.......

(as I step down from my soapbox....)

what does that mean to our kids? What does that mean to Americans?

With Earth Day this Thursday, and the Science Fair Friday~ these two are being joined in a "green effort" to encourage the students to think beyond themselves and think about their impact.... environmentally.

Late last night I got another call..... and was asked to pull together a "think" display about the children's lunches and the waste that goes into individual packaging and plastic zip locks (I gag just typing that word..... sssppllltltt!)..... so now O and I are working together, making a display based on one child's waste, per meal, by pound and comparing that to the class, the school and in a weeks time. It will be compared to a reusable lunch, with cloth napkins, silverware, mason jars, wax paper bags (compostable!) and meal creativity. I am even thinking of adding "snack recipes" for fruit leathers, trail mix, graham crackers, rice balls, apple sauce, pudding, and dried sweet potato/potato chips.... homemade things that I put in O's lunch.

wish us luck! because I have three days to pull this all together....

lets see what happens?????