Stewardship Project Motivation

1. Projects are student generated Stewardship ProjectMotivation Projects fulfill teacher stipend requirements Projects improve our environment Projects are sustainable

2. international framework helping educators integrate sustainable principles throughout their schools & curriculum EcoSchools 8 Pathways to Sustainable Stewardship http://www.nwf.org/Global-Warming/School-Solutions/Eco-Schools-USA.aspx

3. Join Preexisting Recycling ProjectsResearch & Devise Sustainable Projects Trex composite deck material = sawdust + recycled bags. Could partner with retailers, trash haulers, high school only, high # bags = free TREX bench. http://www.trex.com/plan/why-trex/environmentally-friendly/recycling-programs/index.htm Juice Box Recycling Raise fund/get ideas from: http://www.keepvirginiabeautiful.org Beverage containers make up (40-60%) of litter, always in top 3 in land/water clean-up efforts. Is recycling effective? Advocate for a bottle bill in Pr. Wm. http://toolkit.bottlebill.org/

4. Reduce Energy Consumption • Conduct a School energy Audit, distribute • results to whole school • Persuade students/admin to cut back • Seal leaks • Shut down computers/smart boards daily, if • no updates are occurring • Decrease unneeded lighting Kill-A-Watt meter http://www.p3international.com/products/special/P4400/P4400-CE.html http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/wue/energy2_procedures.html SMART strip Automatically shuts off appliances when not in use

5. Climate Change http://usa.zerochallenge.org/ Track where students old cell phones end up • Decrease school footprint • Create/Use social media to • increase project impact Participate in Chesapeake Climate Action Network http://www.chesapeakeclimate.org/ http://www.chesapeakeclimate.org/template/index_va.cfm

6. Green Your Grounds • Keep stormwater on site • Install a rain garden • Decrease mowed lawn areas • Plant native trees • Stabilize eroded slopes • Plant retention pond • filtering vegetation • More outdoor learning! biology.kenyon.edu http://www.gfrpartners.com/06DurfeeTreePlanting.html http://www.shenandoah.k12.va.us/v.php?pg=890

7. Improve your Watershed POTOMAC RIVER WATERSHED CLEANUP • 9am - 12pm Saturday, April 14, 2012 • http://www.fergusonfoundation.org/trash_initiative/trash_cleanup.shtml Friends of the Occoquan Spring Clean-Up Day • Saturday, April 14, 2012 http://www.friendsoftheoccoquan.org/ • Adopt-a-stream • Routinely clean school grounds • Monitor/decrease fertilizer application on school grounds • Prevent debris from entering parking lot storm drains • Improve soil, drainage, flow at school or local areas • Can school water be reused for irrigation? Grow & release shad Pr. Wm Co. Clean-Up Pick your date & site! http://www.pwcleancouncil.org/Misc-.html MD Dept of the Environment http://www.livingclassroomsdc.org

8. Improve your Watershed Plant Trees: Soak up Stormwater! • VA Dept. of Forestry • 40 species of VA grown bare root seedlings! • ~10 for $20 or 25 for $40 • Wildflower seed mixes • Orders taken Sept.-mid April • www.BuyVirginiaTrees.com **Celebrate** Arbor Day April 27, 2012 50 FREE Trees from Disney & Arbor Day Foundation Order by April 1, 2012 http://www.arborday.org/disney/ Pin Oak– dry or moist Full sun Silky Dogwood – moist areas Partial sun THESE  FREE SEEDLINGS from PWC Cooperative Ext. 4-H Order by Jan. 20, 2012 (arrival Mar. – Apr) Linda King, Extension Agent, lking@pwcgov.org703-792-4761

9. Improve Air Quality, Reduce Emissions & Fuel Use • Improve School Bus Idling Policy • Use propane heaters to warm bus instead of cold weather idling • Reduce number of kids driving separate cars, when buses provided Encourage PWCS admin to look at improving indoor air quality for new school construction http://www.chps.net/dev/Drupal/node/48 http://www.virginiadot.org/programs/srsm_school_travel_plans_and_grants.asp They offer grants to get programs rolling! If not feasible at your school; have students partner with an elementary or middle school Bike to School Day May 9, 2012: http://www.walktoschool.org/ http://www.epa.gov/cleanschoolbus/idling_policy.htm International Walk to School Day October 2012: http://www.walktoschool.org/ http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/ http://saferoutesvirginia.wordpress.com/2010/09/30/prevention-connections-offers-safe-routes-to-school-grants/

10. Questions to Ask Students • Did they define an issue? Did they contact with all stakeholders? • If we plant trees at the base of this slope, erosion will be decreased. • If we clean up trash along the Occoquan River and reported it in our school paper, students will more aware and less likely to throw trash in storm sewers • If 89% of all students walk or ride their bikes on May 9th, we will have cut down on ____ amount of greenhouse gases. • If we contact all homeowners in __ neighborhood and invite them to the neighborhood stream clean-up, we will have raised awareness and cleaned up this section of the stream… • Did their efforts make an impact? • Is it measurable? • Amount of trash collected, • Amount of electricity or $$ saved, no longer used, • # of homeowners contacted, • # of kids participating, • # of storm drains stenciled, • Number of trees planted… • Is it sustainable? • Is the rain garden effectively slowing storm water run off? Can we add more plants to it next year? • Are trees being watered during first summer? • Are kids participating in watershed clean-up each year? • Are teachers using student recommendations for decreasing electrical consumption…