A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of participating in a tour of The Brooklyn New School to learn more about its incredible efforts to promote sustainability. The tour was organized by Emily Fano, who heads up the New York Eco-Schools - National Wildlife Federation.
After going on the tour, I understood why this school was recognized with the Green Flag by the National Wildlife Federation’s Eco-Schools USA program. The staff there - from the principal to the science teacher to the sustainability coordinator - work closely as a team to help the whole school community conserve natural resources and incorporate environmental education into the curriculum.
What first impressed me is that BNS has its very own Sustainability Coordinator, Johanna Esteras. This seems crucial in pulling all the different sustainability efforts together, so it's not just people doing their own thing off in different corners of the school. The fact that there is a dedicated staff member tells me that this is a big priority for the school.
The other thing I noticed is that as Johanna showed us around the schoolyard and its various eco-friendly projects, different children came up to her to make contact and to chime in about these various projects. They seemed to have a great tie with her and a real sense of ownership over everything.
Also, it was clear that Johanna has good relationships with different staff, and I thought "Right! All of this is possible because of those solid, cooperative connections."
Here are some of the other reasons BNS is outstanding in the field of sustainability:
* The school has its own green blog: Ecorama. Do check it out!
* Students took on a variety of sustainability initiatives; these included forming an Eco-Action team, increasing green space and biodiversity on school grounds, saving energy, and implementing award-winning waste reduction measures.
* The school recycles and composts 75 percent of its cafeteria food waste, turns hard-to-recycle items into art projects, and is an official city Compost Project demonstration site.
* The school’s garden includes a “pollinator palace” and bug hotel,
* BNS students learn about a variety of globally important issues across the grades and curricula:
First graders raise crops in the school garden, use the compost they produce from their cafeteria scraps on their raised beds, and harvest and serve their produce. They explore green spaces in and around the school community — including parks, community gardens, and other urban farms.
Second graders learn about the importance of water as they engineer ways to collect water, including: designing a water filtering system, creating rainwater catchment systems, and building pipe systems to meet a variety of challenges. This spring, they created pipe systems to irrigate the school’s gardens.
Fifth graders study weather and climate change and the benefits of alternative energy sources. They demonstrate what they learn at the school’s yearly sustainability “science fair” — Ecorama.
* Students and staff have ventured out into their community to plant and care for trees, participate in ecological restoration and cleanups at nearby Plumb Beach, and raised and released native pollinators like monarch butterflies.
* Other gems include the Green Studio — a room devoted to sustainable projects and activities; the cafeteria recycling stations; an outdoor composting center and garden, and the Eco-Casita — an outdoor classroom in a converted shipping container, topped off by a green roof.
Photo Credit: Cynthia Carris
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