HISD’s Energy and Sustainability Department has a vision for all campuses to be waste-free. With that goal in mind, Analyst Stephanie Walker and her team worked to educate and inspire teachers and administrators with the District’s inaugural Zero-Waste Initiative email series.
Continue readingCategory Archives: Earth Day
HISD receives funding from community partners to progress new recycling program
On Feb. 21, HISD welcomed representatives from ExxonMobil, LyondellBasell and Tricon Energy to a reception at Lantrip Elementary School where the community partners presented the district with $300,000 in donations to kick start a new recycling program.
Continue readingFonwood Early Childhood Center celebrates Earth Day in style with an upcycled fashion show
Fonwood Early Childhood Center was abuzz with music and activity on Friday, April 22. This year, the school’s Spring Carnival coincided with Earth Day, and teachers and staff decided to combine the annual event with a fun and memorable recycling and conservation learning activity for pre-K students.
Continue readingPark Place ES receives long-awaited honor for innovative, school-wide recycling program
Recycling isn’t something an afterschool robotics club would typically dedicate its time to, but the RoboTigers at Park Place Elementary are no ordinary club.
The RoboTigers won first place in the All-Earth EcoBot Challenge last year after launching an ambitious, school-wide recycling program and contest that resulted in 23,000 pounds of recycled material.
The impressive accomplishment was initially overshadowed by the pandemic. But nearly a year after being declared winners, Park Place finally had its time to shine last week as the RoboTigers received a plaque honoring their contributions to sustainability.
Continue readingCultivated Classroom at Gregory-Lincoln growing young minds, spreading roots in community
Sit down to a table at Bludorn Restaurant in Midtown, and you expect to see a few things: an airy dining room with high-end lighting, the wine wall with vintages from around the world, and artfully plated dishes with ingredients like maitake mushrooms, chermoula, and sea urchin.
But what you might not expect to see is a carrot—or Swiss chard or green beans or kale—planted, cultivated, and harvested by a third-grader just down the block.
So how do these vegetables make it from the hands of an elementary school student to the plate of a high-end restaurant with a Michelin pedigreed chef?
Just down Taft Street from Chef Aaron Bludorn’s flagship restaurant sits Gregory-Lincoln Education Center, and its school garden. Or, as Kellie Karavias calls it, the Cultivated Classroom.
Continue readingFor Earth Month, HISD challenges campuses to take steps toward sustainability
Education and awareness play a critical role in creating a sustainable future — but it also requires action.
That’s why this April, HISD’s Energy and Sustainability department is asking campuses to show appreciation for the planet by taking the 2021 Earth Month pledge and participating in eco-friendly activities.
“Our students are global citizens. It’s important for them to learn about our planet and how they can help take care of it,” Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan said. “Earth Month gives us the opportunity to highlight our efforts to reduce our environmental impact while also promoting sustainable behaviors inside and outside the classroom.”
Campuses that take the pledge are encouraged to participate in designated Earth Month activities. They earn points for completed activities, which range from tallying the number of students who walked or biked to school to writing essays on the meaning of sustainability.
Continue reading