It’s safe to say summer has come and gone. Schools are back in session and summer vacations are in the distant past. As fall slowly settles in perhaps you’ll be inspired to ideate a way to create some change at your own school or workplace. This week’s tip is to encourage your school or business to reduce emissions.
Carbon-Free Campus is a program that helps schools reduce their carbon emissions by providing “modules” of information, guidance and steps for schools to complete. They also provide tips on ways to adopt a sustainable lifestyle at home. After each module is completed, a badge of completion is issued to the school. They believe that by making the school more sustainable, environmental education will have a stronger impact on students and their families.
A similar organization is Grades of Green, which has numerous programs for grades Kindergarten through Twelfth. They pride themselves on “environmental leadership training” and have a focus on civic engagement in addition to project-based learning about various environmental lessons. They offer lists of initiatives that schools can take in order to make the school or district more sustainable (and therefore reduce emissions). All of their programs are free, they are developing new ones as we speak, and you can join a campaign here.
Want to help your business lower carbon emissions? Check out the ClimatePartner Online Academy. Their free program will give you an overview about how to create a climate action strategy for your company. Once you feel confident with the general understanding, they offer “Deep Dive” courses into specific environmental topics to share with your company (still completely free).
You can also extend your positive influence on global warming well beyond your home, school or work by actively encouraging others to take action in your community. Earthday.org created a Teach-In Toolkit to help you advocate for climate action. Teach-ins are a great way to educate your community so they can advocate for change. In fact, teach-ins from the first Earth Day helped connect and mobilize citizens to demand that Congress protect the environment, which led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency. The Teach-In Toolkit offers many different environmental subjects that you can choose to cover.
Taking personal action doesn’t have to just be personal - it can have a ripple effect in creating positive change. With so many online resources, it’s easier than ever to make a difference in your community.
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