Filed under: Green Life | Tags: bake sales, brats, buddies, eco-school, green roofs, Kids, pre teens, recycle, school
This morning was very unusual at my school. The first two periods where used for something called “Buddy Activities”. Normally, these activities include drawing pictures with the 2nd and 3rd graders, or playing games like tag and knockout with the 6th graders. The Juniors always have the 7th grade, something I was not looking forward to. I thought they would be too cool for us, and not participate. I thought we would be doing some kind of activity like “board games” but this morning was different. It was a conversation about how we could make our school a more sustainable place. I was so happy that this was what this morning was devoted to, but I was still worried that these 7th graders would not be interested in it. We split into a small group, there were four Juniors and four 7th graders at my table. It took the kids a couple of minutes to warm up, but soon they were contributing to the conversation. I (of course) had a lot to say, and I noticed that these kids had as much to say as I did.
They came up with great ideas, and they agreed that our school needs a green roof. They said that we needed more recycling bins, and the ones that are already there need to be more visable. They said we should have a “green sale” once a month, where we raise money either for green organizations or for our schools own “green funds”.
I must say I was very impressed with the conversation. I can’t say I was passionate about anything when I was 7th grade. The only thing I cared about was boys and what I was wearing. It definitely set a very good tone for my day.
One thing bothered me, and it wasn’t the juvenile comments or horny middle school boys. It was the snack. We had a snack after the discussion, and I ate a very good brownie. But the had HUGE paper plates AND napkins! I saw both 7th graders and 11th graders walking by with a huge napkin, a huge plate, and on that plate one little donut hole. This bothered me, and I actually said something about it. It seemed a little hypocritical to me.
Other than that, it was a great morning that made me have a really good day. I think that more kids (or are they pre-teens?) should be enviornmentally involved. I am really happy with the steps my school is taking to be green.
