Sustainability has been a core value for a small number of people for a long time and now even businesses are getting into the act. But, if you want to change the world you need to start in the schools.
Today, I’ll outline three different schools where sustainability is making an impact. The first is the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California where students incorporate sustainability into the core values along with form and function.
Some of the students are working on projects such as designing bikes from local materials for third world nations, making attractive designer bags from Army tarpaulins and dog tags and inventing an electric tea set that does not waste heat.
Students in the Art Center College’s Design for Sustainability class must submit their projects for a life-cycle analysis first that measures the environmental impact from the beginning of the source materials to what happens after the consumer is finished using the product.
The Denver Public Schools have signed on to using TREES software that will help in reducing greenhouse gases at over 180 public schools in the area. Energy savings and efficiency are key components to using the software.
And, in Cooper Elementary School in Northwest Arkansas, the students have just won the “It’s Good to Be Green” contest for sustainability. Producing a video, a banner and writing an essay on sustainability was the task and the grand prize was a playground made of recycled parts.
With the concept of sustainability integrated into the schools, the green future is looking very promising indeed.