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SeaStar
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| Posted: Sept 17 2010 at 11:40am | IP Logged
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I've recently read that homeschoolers are the greenest educators.... no daily commute, waste-free lunches, no need for a clunky back pack, etc.
I am looking for ways to encourage my kids to be "greener". Turning off lights and paper use comes to mind. I have been trying to convince them that they can use both sides of drawing paper most of the time.
My ds is doubtful, considering all that he does a masterpiece. My dd agreed right away, but her idea of using both sides is drawing a picture on one side and the scrawling her name (or mine) on the back.
Hmm.... not making much progress there. We do have and use a couple of white boards that cuts down paper use. But we still go through a ton.
What "green" things do you do that are school-related?
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
SQUILT Music Appreciation
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guitarnan
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| Posted: Sept 17 2010 at 11:50am | IP Logged
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Here are some of the things we do (besides the obvious recycling):
We save cardboard from packages we receive (the rectangle of cardboard Amazon.com shrink-wraps books onto leaps to mind) for use in school projects.
We recycle inkjet cartridges.
We eat lunch off plates that go into the dishwasher, not off paper.
We make a lot (not all, but a large percentage) of our food from scratch, cutting down on purchases of mega-packaged items. (Okay, this is only tangentially-related, but...)
We don't buy new crayons, pencils, etc. at the beginning of each school year - instead, we replace them when we run out of or use up these items.
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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Grace&Chaos
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| Posted: Sept 17 2010 at 12:44pm | IP Logged
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We ended buying a cloth line and hung it in our backyard this summer. Our dryer broke and instead of replacing it right away we lined dried our wash all summer. My dd loved that we were "doing it like the old times" and my ds 5 reminded us that we were saving "lectisity". He also goes around the house turning lights off and appliances not in use. As for the dryer, my husband took on the task of figuring out how to fix it, but while we still have sunny days out here we are still drying outside  .
For several years now we have also created a compost depot outside. We have a great pile in our old home, but are slow in getting this new one started. We collect fruit/vegetable peels and other food material that can go in it. We place into a bin that gets tossed in the pile about once a day. We've used our compost to soil new plants or resoil potted areas. The kids really get into this. DH also adds the lawn clippings into the pile.
And of course being a big family I've been placing all our kids cloths/shoes/costumes into bins by size and we use hand me downs quiet a bit around here, too. The kids have also gotten into the habit of going to garage sales to look for toys, bikes, and BOOKS instead of buying them brand new ("we're recycling and reusing,"they say) .
We tried very hard to create a garden (with several veggies) in our new home, but we quickly have discovered that there are too many small critters around here (rabbits, gophers, quail, squirrels, sigh) Our garden didn't make it, we luckily did enjoy a couple of green been salads  . This started because we had about 7 different fruit trees in our old house and the kids loved eating the fruit when in season. My dh has plans to start that up again here.
I have a dd who says "any planting is good because plants give us oxygen."
I think that what we do in terms of being "greener" we always end up having a lesson from it. Science, Botany, Biology, Nature Study, History, Economics, Religion; maybe that's why hs are the greenest educators. Our education is lived everyday and we appreciate it.
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Blessings,
Jenny
Mom to dds(00,03) and dss(05,06,08,09)
Grace in Loving Chaos
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herdingkittens
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| Posted: Sept 17 2010 at 6:09pm | IP Logged
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beyond the basics, we:
-compost (how cool is science when you can watch something smoke and decompose?!?!)
-buy clothing/books used (and anything else I can get used, for that matter) and hand down
-don't buy anything we don't need (which I think can be a huge thing in and of itself - a limited budget sure helps you be green! )
-try not to eat out very often
- consolidate errands into very few trips so i am not burning gobs of gas
-my husband is a teacher, so our drawing paper is the backside of geometry and algebra math quizzes
Enjoying watching this post, by the way.... 
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ekbell
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| Posted: Sept 17 2010 at 6:47pm | IP Logged
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SeaStar wrote:
I have been trying to convince them that they can use both sides of drawing paper most of the time.
My ds is doubtful, considering all that he does a masterpiece. My dd agreed right away, but her idea of using both sides is drawing a picture on one side and the scrawling her name (or mine) on the back.
Hmm.... not making much progress there. |
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I've found that the best way to stretch drawing paper is by cutting the sheets down into 'postcard' or 'trading card' size. More masterpieces, less paper used -and they can easily stored in pockets for the child (or mom) who can't bear to dispose of them.
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Angie Mc
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| Posted: Sept 18 2010 at 10:18am | IP Logged
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Our family has ongoing discussions about stewardship of our time and resources. We also ask ourselves "How are we being good stewards of our resources?" at our weekly family meeting.
Catechism of the Catholic Church wrote:
Respect for the integrity of creation
2415 The seventh commandment enjoins respect for the integrity of creation. Animals, like plants and inanimate beings, are by nature destined for the common good of past, present, and future humanity.195 Use of the mineral, vegetable, and animal resources of the universe cannot be divorced from respect for moral imperatives. Man's dominion over inanimate and other living beings granted by the Creator is not absolute; it is limited by concern for the quality of life of his neighbor, including generations to come; it requires a religious respect for the integrity of creation.196 |
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In addition to connecting the call of stewardship to God and our Church, we also connect stewardship of goods to the time and effort their dad puts into earning an income. "Stewardhsip" is abstract for little ones so we tie it into their relatioinships, "We are good stewards because we love God, love Dad, love our neighbor," etc. They grow into better understanding once they gain experience with earning and spending their own money .
Currently, we are focusing on decreasing purchases (which isn't easy with teens!):
Can this purchase wait? (The principal is that delaying purchases tends to decrease actual numbers of purchases.)
Can you use something else? (Instead of ordering the optional team pracitce shirt, can you use a shirt you already have?)
Can you find it cheaper? (My boys are now well versed at finding the best deals on baseball equipment!)
Our goal is to help our children to choose to be good stewards, rather than force them into compliance of too many (fussy/arbitrary) rules. One may choose to use the back side of a printed page for drawing while another uses a shiny clean new sheet with great joy. One may choose to take a 2 minute shower while another relaxes and renews in a long, hot shower. One may eat a lot of leftovers (and I mean a lot!) while another is highly satisfied with a small, yet freshly made, meal. We look to find ways to be good stewards that make the most of our gifts/talents/temperaments/season to increase the likelihood of personal satisfaction and family harmony.
Love,
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Angie Mc
Maimeo to Henry! Dave's wife, mom to Mrs. Devin+Michael Pope, Aiden 20,Ian 17,John Paul 11,Catherine (heaven 6/07)
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SeaStar
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| Posted: Sept 18 2010 at 11:37am | IP Logged
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That is a great point, Angie, and one I had not considered.
While my ds does not like the idea of reusing paper, he is the king of the two minute shower! 
Also, he does not draw nearly so many pictures as my dd.
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
SQUILT Music Appreciation
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JennGM
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| Posted: Sept 18 2010 at 12:23pm | IP Logged
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Angie, Thank you for your points. I think this is so key. I bristle when I hear about being green because it misses the whole picture that we are supposed to be stewards of God's creation, as we are reminded in Genesis with God and Adam and Eve.
Stewardship isn't a new idea. My mother talks about how how the sisters made use of back sides of paper, not wasting, reusing, being creative with material goods. My mother is a Franciscan tertiary and always taught us to not waste, use notebooks completely (always sad when we didn't get new binders and notebooks because we had perfectly good ones for the new school year). My mother wasn't a granola or hippie, nor does she get into environmental causes.
And I know it's frowned upon now, but I still think pointing out to your child that there are children who don't get to eat at all and that we should eat our dinner is NOT a bad focus.
I think having this focus, that we're taking care of God's creation, since it's a gift for us keeps a more level head. I've been frustrated by some things said by Bill Nye has stuck with my son that he starts uberfocusing on the pollution, environmental abuses, saving the animal species instead of savoring the natural beauty around us.
I'm not saying all of Bill Nye's points are wrong, but they aren't put into a balanced nor Christian perspective, and for a child it becomes skewed. I'd rather call it stewardship than "being green" and "environmentally friendly" and "saving the earth".
It's a fine line, and I haven't been able to completely put my finger on it, but that's brief summary..
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to  & ds1  '03 & ds2  '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: Encouraging kids to go "green"
