Go Green Initiative School of the Week:

Robert Graves School, NY

Robert Graves Elementary School in Port Ewen, New York is this week’s Go Green School of the Week. Robert Graves became a “Go Green” school in February 2007 and has developed an amazing environmental plan involving all of its 440 students and parents.

Their vermi-composting began around the need to grow fresh, organic vegetables for the school turtle…….a 150 lb. sand turtle that has free run of the school hallways!  

The school based their plan on the classroom activity book, “Worms Eat My Garbage.” They bought 1 pound of Eisenia fetida (red worms) and organized a bin, bedding, recording, weighing system, and feeding arrangements. The children are delighted with the system and enjoy feeding their classroom food scraps to the worms.

Taking it one step further, they instigated Worm Observation Chambers in 6 classrooms so the children may look at the habits of night crawlers and earthworms as well. Second hand aquariums were donated by parents, as was the soil and leaves. 4th graders worked with Kindergarten children to assemble the projects.

The school has also implemented a cardboard and metal recycling program. Parents take the school’s cardboard to the local recycling center in order to teach the children about volunteer service work and so they can spend time at the recycling center. They will be taking their metal cans to a recycling depot as of this week and resultant funds will be used by the school for the children’s environmental projects and/or fieldtrips. This will also save the school district money on dumpsters and in small part, taxpayers’ money. The school views money is a resource as well.

Robert Graves’ Future Plans Include:

  • Rummage Sale – turning waste into a resource plus community gathering to assist one another in a cheerful manner.
  • “No Waste Lunch” – the program to encourage children to bring lunchboxes, ‘Eat What You Bring’, and take their left food home. Some of the food will go to the vermicomposting and the resulting drop in landfill bag numbers will increase sustainability and encourage children to bring healthy lunches.  Recycling bins have been placed at two separate locations for drink containers (plastic and metal).
  • Hudson River Sweep – the school will be working with a coordinator at the local library to facilitate a team of students to clean a stretch of the Hudson River (less than a mile away from our homes and school) in March. This will teach the children volunteer service work and encourage trash reduction in their lives.