Green Schools | Carmel Green Initiative

"Ban the Bottle, Try the Tap" Campaign at Towne Meadow

During Earth Week, a girl scout troop from Towne Meadow waged a campaign to "Ban the Bottle; Try the Tap." The Carmel Green Teen Project funded the following activities:
Morning announcements- Five girls from the girl scout troop (one per day) shared facts about bottled water with the rest of the school.

Two of the troop moms handed out paper cups of water to students who normally buy bottled water. They did this for a different grade level each day (kindergarten and first grade on the same day). They also went around and sat with students at their tables to talk with them about their campaign and the issues involved. At the end of each lunch period, they used the microphone to speak to the whole group all at once, reinforcing the key ideas of the project.

Display: One of the troop moms and several of the girls built a display of the number of water bottles discarded in one day at Towne Meadow (112).

Posters: The girls hung posters with the slogan, "Ban the bottle, Try the tap!" above all the school drinking fountains.

Garbage Patch Video: They showed an ABC news segment about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch to all students in the school (right after morning announcements).

Bulletin Board: They designed a bulletin board which depicted "5 Reasons Not to Drink Bottled Water."

Troop Leader and Towne Meadow parent: Ruth Perkins

Students and Families Participate in Earth Day Campus Clean-Up

On Saturday, April 24th, students and families volunteered their time, picking up trash at Carmel Middle School, Creekside Middle, and Carmel High School as part of a districtwide celebration of Earth Day. Students from first grade through high school showed up despite forecasted rain and spent a couple of hours combing the campuses for wind-blown trash and surprising items left behind on school grounds. From candy wrappers picked up at Creekside's neighbor West Clay Elementary School to a bicycle dragged out of the reeds in the CHS wetlands, volunteers left our well-maintained campuses even spiffier. Many thanks to all of the volunteers and school staff that made this event a success! Thank you also to the following folks who partnered with us for this clean-up event: Panera Bread, Dunkin Donuts and Citizens for Greenspace.

Green Schools Committee

Chair: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

All members of the school community including parents, students, staff and board members are invited to join the Green Schools Committee. As part of the education process, you have an opportunity to play a unique role in enacting significant positive environmental and educational change in our schools and throughout our community.

The committee strives to work with schools to adopt green practices such as reducing waste, using eco-friendly products, reducing tailpipe pollution, implementing energy saving initiatives and recycling. The Committee supports and encourages Green Teams at all Carmel schools by providing network and education opportunities.

Going green means saving money, using energy, fuel and other resources wisely, reducing our dependence on foreign oil, and reducing our impact on the environment. All this is to ensure the future health and safety of our children.