Dear Green Schools Supporter-
For students, Back-to-School brings a bit of trepidation but a whole lot of excitement as well. For me, it's the same. Although I don't directly work in the schools, the start of classes definitely raises the level of activity in my office. Despite the extra work, I feel re-energized by the many motivated students and parents who are trying to green their schools every day. For them, I put together Greening the Next Generation each month so that they have the resources and ideas to get them started. Good luck with your endeavors!
Nik KaestnerDirector
of Sustainability SFUSD
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Make Money By Reducing Waste
District Negotiates Special Price on Water Bottles for Schools
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Making disposable plastic bottles to meet Americans' demand
for bottled water requires more than 17 million barrels of oil
annually, enough to fuel some 100,000 cars for a year. That's the equivalent of filling up a quarter of each bottle
with oil. Furthermore, the process of making and shipping a water bottle uses 3-4 times more water than the bottle itself contains.
Luckily, we in the SF Unified School District can do something about this incredible waste. SFUSD has negotiated an amazing price of only $5.10 for a BPA-free, stainless steel, reusable water bottle from Cynergreen. This includes a two-color school logo as well as shipping!
If you are interested in getting bottles for your school or organizing a fundraiser in your community, visit the fundraising website and enter username sfusd and password green. |
Walk-to-School Day is October 7th
Reduce the Biggest Part of Your Carbon Footprint
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 When a car is started in the morning, the first mile of
a trip produces 20 times more pollution than each subsequent mile. This makes the trip to school very
costly to your child's health. What's more, transportation-related emissions are California's single greatest source of greenhouse gases!
In order to promote student health, reduce congestion, increase physical activity, and protect the environment, the Department of Public Health, SF Bicycle Coalition, Presidio YMCA, and SFUSD are again sponsoring Walk-to-School Day. This event gives children, parents, school staff, and neighbors an opportunity to make their communities safer and more pleasant places to walk.
Schools are encouraged to participate by organizing a morning walking group to safely escort students on their way to class. For more information, free resources, and prizes, visit SF Walk-to-School Day.
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School Food Takes Center Stage
Parents Support for Healthy Lunch Options Grows
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 On Labor Day 2009, Slow Food USA organized eat-ins all across the country to highlight the need for greater funding of the National School Lunch Program. As school budgets have been cut over the past few decades, our
nation's schools have struggled to serve children a healthy meal. That's why it's essential that legislators hear from you about the need to prioritize school food!
In our city, the SF School Kitchen Coalition represents a group of over sixty parents and allies
committed to creating a school food program that links fresh, high quality, and delicious food to student health, academic
achievement, and positive behavior. The group meets monthly to identify strategies for supporting SFUSD Nutrition Services in its effort to craft an exciting vision for the future. If you are interested in getting involved, please join the listserv or volunteer your time.
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TRAINING & RESOURCES
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West Coast Green
10/1-10/3
Get a free pass to the biggest green building conference in the state! A 20% discount is also available here.
Ecology of the School Garden
10/8-10/29
The SF Botanical Garden Society and the SF Green Schoolyard Alliance host a series of four workshops to deepen your understanding of the scientific principles at work in the outdoor classroom.
Agriculture in the Classroom
10/23-10/24
The
California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom sponsors this
conference to enhance education around agricultural topics.
GRANTS & FUNDING
Green Retrofit
Adobe is donating $100K to green a school in San Francisco. Every time someone signs up for a free, 30-day trial of Adobe� Acrobat� Connect™ Pro, twenty-five dollars will be donated toward the cause.
$5K for School Environments
10/9
The Student Conservation Association's Green Your School Contest rewards service projects designed by high school
students that improve or restore their high
school environment.
$15K for Energy Efficiency
10/12
Lutron makes up to $15,000 available to schools that come up with inspiring energy retrofit projects.
$5K for School Enhancement
10/16
Lowe's will donate a total of $5 million to public schools projects that improve landscaping or facilities in a sustainable fashion.
$5K for Green Schoolyards
11/1
SF Beautiful has grants up to $5,000 available for schools that want to create clean, healthy, and beautiful places for their kids to play.
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