The Go Green Initiative’s School of the Week: Leo Croce Elementary in Livermore, California!
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 10.21.07
Last week the Go Green Initiative kicked off their school of the week awards by honoring Harvest Park Middle School in Pleasanton, California. And Leo Croce Elementary in Livermore is right up there with them this week for making tremendous strides to protect the environment by taking action right where they live.
In fact, Leo Croce Elementary is one of the original Go Green schools, signing on way back in 2004 under the leadership of teacher Pam Ferrucci. She’s hard at work helping the students grow an extensive garden that, this time of year, produces a boatload of pumpkins for Halloween. Of course, pumpkins themselves have become a bit scarce across the country this year, but these kids have been fortunate enough to get a full harvest.
And to help make the connection between the food they grow and the manner in which they dispose of the waste products post-consumption, they’ve instituted a full-blown cafeteria recycling program. And that means weighing all of the food and liquids they keep out of the waste stream in the process. Some of it heads back to the garden in the form of compost, and the students have been so enthusiastic about that process that many of them have begun the process at home with their parents.
Focusing on the garden itself, science teachers like Pam use it to teach the principles of ecology along with key concepts in science. Giving students an opportunity to make the connection between the planet and the sometimes abstract material presented in the classroom.
Of course, they’re hard at work recycling paper, plastic water bottles, cell phones, batteries, and printer cartridges as well…
Congrats to everyone at Leo Croce Elementary!
Last Week’s School of the Week: Harvest Park Middle School in Pleasanton, California!
via:: The Go Green Initiative
Great to see kids getting involved. If only more schools were taking this initiative :)