Five Target Areas for Schools
By Anna Perry, Charlottesville High School

If you are interested in reducing your school’s environmental footprint, here are a few ideas you can take to the administration to get started

1. Waste Management
• Paper Reduction
- Consider creating printing and copying limits for both students and faculty
-Promote usage of online teacher/student resources and websites
• Awareness
-Establish a fundamental understanding true single-stream recycling versus mixed waste disposal
-Create informative signs/posters around recycling and composting bins
• Recycling
-Start composting at your school- the following is a link to Black Bear Composting, a company which has worked with area schools to establish composting during lunches http://www.blackbearcomposting.com/
-Research local recycling companies that collect a broader spectrum of materials

2. Energy Conservation
• Perform light audits and record areas of the buildings that tend to have unnecessary electric consumption
• Encourage faculty to turn off lights and power strips to their computers at the end of the day
• Consider installation of motion-sensored lights in hallways and classrooms, along with replacement of incandescent bulbs with LED lights

3. Water Conservation
• Station rain barrels around heavy storm runoff areas
• Consider planting rain gardens around parking lots and pavement
-More information on rain gardens: http://www.raingardennetwork.com/build.htm

4. Transportation
• Support mass transit awareness
• Calculate and create maps with the safest biking and walking routes to school and around campus
• Create incentives for car pools to and from school
5. Grounds
• Start a school garden
• Plant native species around fields/in established gardens
• Reduce use of harmful fertilizers and water on sports fields