Author: Rebekah Eastep

Projects that involve student collaboration are good for building classroom camaraderie, while they learn about important topics. Over the past year, askHRgreen.org awarded more than $4,200 from its Environmental Education Mini Grant program to fund nine organized school projects in Hampton Roads.

“It was a productive year in the classroom for creative, green-based learning initiatives,” said Rebekah Eastep, who co-leads the askHRgreen.org public education and awareness campaign. “We love to see students digging into projects, especially when it comes to environmental education.”

Over this past funding period, the hands-on activities included the development of school gardens designed to attract bees, butterflies and rainwater runoff; classroom and school-wide recycling programs; a vermicomposting experiment; the planting of native trees; and studies on ocean pollution mitigation and watersheds, among others. One school used the grant to build a “green shelf” library of environmental books to support student learning.

A unique project among the grant recipients, third- through fifth-grade students at Kings Grant Elementary School in Virginia Beach participated in a “Crops and Connections” project that involved nurturing and cooking their own food, grown in a school garden, through a community partnership with the CROP Foundation and Commune farm-to-table restaurant.

Located near the school, the CROP nonprofit works with students who are interested in culinary study, food policy and agriculture. Together, their instructors and Commune staff demonstrated the best culinary practices for food prep and educated students about the value of using compost in the garden.

“The project allowed students to connect the food they eat with the natural resources needed to produce it. Making these connections is one key to growing a mindset of environmental stewardship in today’s students,” said Eastep.

AskHRgreen.org accepts Environmental Education Mini Grant applications on a rolling basis. Hampton Roads K-12 schoolteachers, youth leaders and other organizations working with youth are encouraged to apply now in order to secure funding for the 2023-2024 school year.

“We encourage teachers to get creative with the grant program by finding ways to engage students with projects inside or outside the classroom,” Eastep said.

In addition, askHRgreen.org has ideas for “greening up” classrooms and learning spaces that will inspire and engage students all the yearlong. For even more inspo, just askHRgreen.org.

In the classroom and study areas

• Room décor – The green color of plants has been known to boost thinking and clarity. A few spider, snake or philodendron plants will brighten up the space, remove pollutants from the air and boost productivity of student scholars.
• Free art supplies – Invite parents to bring in old magazines, paint, brushes, fabric, bottle caps and toilet paper rolls for creating amazing works of art.
• Rain barrel art project – Have students design and paint rain barrels to place under building downspouts. Instructors can make assembling the barrel a classroom project too, using these instructions from askHRgreen.org.
• Start a “monster” classroom recycling project – Follow these steps from We are Teachers to create a whimsical monster to collect scrap paper and old homework assignments. Designate students to tote the goods each week to designated recycling bins.
  

  Walsingham Academy Meaningful Watershed Experience

 For instructors and parents

• Download the askHRgreen.org Green Learning Guides – Written according to Virginia SOL guidelines, the guides connect students to their Hampton Roads environment by combining educational information with fun, age-appropriate activities. There are versions for both Elementary and Middle School students and a corresponding teacher’s guide. Details at this link.
• Green Classroom Pledge. Bring additional value to your students’ education by implementing green practices in the classroom. This pledge will remind them of things they can do to make their classroom a green environment.

Around the school

• Conduct a waste audit – Supervise students as they empty trash cans onto a tarp and see how many recyclable items missed out on a “second life.” Have them report their findings to the school during morning announcements and remind and encourage students and teachers to recycle.
• School cleanups – Designate a campus cleanup day and send kids outside to conduct a clean sweep of the school grounds. The International Coastal Cleanup is happening this fall. Learn how to become a designated cleanup location through the Virginia organizers at Clean Virginia Waterways.