It may appear that we teachers hate the Earth. We make copy after copy, and then make extra copies of those copies. As an eco-conscious person, it hasn't been easy for me to adjust. I began the year with keeping electronic copies of everything, avoiding printouts as much as possible. In the middle of the year, I just gave in. This year I've been toying with ways to balance out my paper/toner usage. Please share any eco-friendlier ideas you have as a teacher/concerned citizen!
1. Meatless Mondays - just as it sounds. I don't eat meat for 24 hours. About 2,000 gallons of water goes into producing a single pound of beef! Incredible! Next year I want to try Meatless Metro Mondays, but I don't know how I feel about taking a 40 minute metro trip as opposed to just driving it...
2. Sidewalk Saturdays - on Saturdays, I don't drive for 24 hours. I put all my errands on hold until Sunday, where I try to plan out the trip as conservatively as possible.
(Can you tell that I love alliterations?)
3. Setting up a recycling bin in the classroom - My school doesn't recycle (neither does the county my school is in, really, and that is so 1991), but I got a paper recycling bin from my county and use it in the room. I empty it about once a quarter by taking it home to my apartment complex. It's kind of annoying but it definitely beats the guilt of shaving down trees!
Also, thank you to EVERYONE who read my last post/left constructive comments. I super appreciate it! Right now, I'm working on logging my hours for the week as a blog about how, as a new teacher, I spend my time. Thank you again for the help!
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