Monday, February 28, 2011

Late Start Morning Field Trip

Wednesday March 9th
9am

How does the forest recycle?

Come for a special ranger-guided hike at Tryon Creek State Park
with Rieke Green Team and the EcoThink Club

Sign up in the office or email Jamie (jamie.repasky@gmail.com) if you would like to attend.

We will hike rain or shine so bring boots and a change of clothes!

Friday, February 11, 2011

STUDENT ARTISTS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS NEEDED!!!!


To make our Rieke “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” music video for Earth Day (set to Jack Johnson’s song ‘3Rs’), we need photos or drawings of:

- taking the bus
- biking
- walking to school
- using cloth bags for groceries
- using reusable lunch containers
- bringing your own water containers
- handing down clothes that don't fit
- growing your own food
- planting native plants
- turning off lights
- turning off your car (idle free zones)
- different types of recycling
- composting
- your family doing a green activity
- ....

Photos of numbers (on signs, cars, buildings, etc):

3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, 36


Please drop off your art in Ms. Reddekopp’s office mail box or email the photos to jamie.repasky@gmail.com


Sustainability - What is a Wants vs Needs


This month we are focusing on wants vs. needs. Your child learned what we “need” to survive and sustain a happy, healthy life and how that differs from what we want to have in the way of possessions.


Please take some time to review what your child learned and check out some or all of these websites.


Check out the United Nations Convention on the rights of the child and download the game to help facilitate a discussion in your family about wants and needs

http://tinyurl.com/4jp2ptw


PBS site has lots of games and resources to explore the idea of wants vs. needs and how to save money.

http://pbskids.org/itsmylife/money/managing/article2.html


Explore consumerism with your older kids. How do advertisers target your kids? This website has some interesting lesson plans and ideas to bring up at the dinner table

http://urbandreams.ousd.k12.ca.us/lessonplans/consumerism/lesson_4.html


Before you consume (or go shopping), check out these sites

Responsible Shopper: www.responsibleshopper.org

PBS: Affluenza: www.pbs.org/kcts/affluenza

Media Awareness Network: www.media-awareness.ca

Black Rhinoceros: www.blackrhinoceros.org

New Road Map Foundation: www.ecofuture.org/pk/pkar9506.html


Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Styrofoam Drive and Recology Tour


Here are our pictures from the Rieke, Hayhurst, and Bridlemile Styrofoam Drive on Feb 5 and 6 and Rieke's tour of the Recology Processing Plant.


We collected 60 cubic yards of styrofoam that will be recycled instead of headed to the landfill. We collected enough styrofoam to fill one of our modular classrooms to the ceiling - that's 660 pounds of styrofoam!