PLT GreenSchools! Gives Connecticut Students A Voice

When two seventh-graders and three of their teachers participated in a PLT GreenSchools! training session in 2009, no one could have imagined that, in just two short years, the “Green Rivers” Team at Two Rivers Magnet Middle School in East Hartford, CT, would galvanize the entire school around environmental learning and action. Yet that is just what has happened. There’s no stopping the Green Rivers Team, which now has more than 150 members—approximately one-third of the student body.

“Our Green Rivers club started as a grassroots thing, the idea of just two students. Now it involves the whole Two Rivers school community, and many different projects,” says Christie Hazen, the school’s Enrichment Coordinator and advisor to the Green Rivers team. “From the beginning, PLT’s GreenSchools! program has helped our students grow in skills, leadership, and environmental awareness.”

We interviewed Hazen (pictured on the right) and five Green Rivers team members, (from left to right) Ashley Peck, Sarah Patulak, Matt Pyznar, Lydia Brewer, and Zoe Diamond, to learn what makes the program a school-wide success.  On the far left of this photo, taken following a presentation at the National Science Teachers Association conference, is James McGirt, manager of the PLT GreenSchools! program.

Action and Results

Green Rivers team members have set their sights on making a difference—not just in their school, but in their community and in their state. “Their work has shown me all the things students can accomplish when they’re given leadership opportunities and a voice,” says Hazen. “Our projects are all focused on educating ourselves, the community, and getting our school to the “greenest” it can be,” say her students, writing in a recent blog post.

The team’s accomplishments include:

• Preparing and delivering a PLT GreenSchools! presentation at a meeting of the National Science Teachers Association in Hartford, CT.  “Rather than being daunted by the challenge of presenting at a meeting where almost all the other presenters are adults, our students jumped right in,” says Hazen. “They were really excited, and spent every lunch hour before the meeting developing and rehearsing their PowerPoint presentation. They took complete ownership. I was there to give them support and help them with resources, but they really took charge of everything.”


“Admittedly, we were a little nervous, being the only people there under the age of 18 in a room full of adults,” said her students in their blog entry. “But our youthful energy worked to our advantage to help us keep everyone informed and interested. We think we did well; people were actively listening and they didn’t look like they wanted to fall asleep.”

• Using the PLT GreenSchools! Energy Investigation to evaluate their school’s energy use, and developing an audacious action plan to save energy at Two Rivers. With financial support from a $6,000 PLT grant, the Green Rivers team researched and purchased a “wind spire” turbine to cut the school’s energy costs by harnessing wind energy. The school’s administration was so impressed with the plan that they contributed $20,000 to retrofit the roof to accommodate the wind spire.
  
  
• Developing leadership skills to keep the Green Rivers team cohesive and productive, and to expand the group’s impact. Six students attended leadership training provided by the Alliance for Climate Education—training usually reserved for older high school students.  Completing the training qualified them as ACE “Ambassadors” committed to keeping other Green Rivers club members engaged, active, and involved in both their school and their community. The things they have learned about climate science from their ACE training are helping inform their continuing efforts to save energy at their school, in their homes, and in the broader East Hartford community. A “Green Day” held on Earth Day 2011 involved the entire school, and Green Rivers team members have gone to local elementary schools to teach younger students the basic of recycling and composting.
  
  
• Researching the growing issue of tree damage from invasive species like the emerald ash borer and the Asian longhorned beetle. They developed a lively, humorous skit and YouTube video presentation—complete with beetle costumes—to teach younger students and community members about the threat the pests pose, as well as how to spot the early signs of tree damage. They’re hoping to present their skit to the Connecticut State Legislature later this year.
  
  “Even though neither of these beetles has been documented in Connecticut, these youth are ahead of the curve in recognizing that this could be a problem here,” says Rachel Holmes, a forester with the state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and a member of Connecticut’s PLT steering committee. “Our best hope for protecting our forests is for people to watch for signs of these insects so we can respond to an infestation before it becomes a widespread problem. This team is creating awareness of this problem in their own creative, enthusiastic way, and I am grateful for their efforts. They give me hope this message will be heard!”
  
  
• Developing a Green Rivers Web site to keep the entire school community engaged in the team’s work.

Tips for Teachers

• Let students lead the way. You’ll be amazed at what young people can accomplish. Like Two Rivers teacher Christie Hazen, be there to give your students support and help them with resources, but let them take charge of the projects they undertake. They will learn important lessons from both successes and setbacks.
• With your students, brainstorm a list of groups and government agencies that could serve as resources to your PLT GreenSchools! program, and ways they might be involved. Invite them to make presentations at your school, mentor Green Team members, or become involved in other ways.  In the case of Two Rivers, reaching out to the state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection gave students access to the professional expertise of a forester, who provided both encouragement and additional resources.
• Access PLT's GreenSchools! Investigations online by registering at www.greenschools.org. A great way to begin using the PLT GreenSchools! Energy Investigation is to collect data on the energy use at your school. What are you paying for electricity each month? Can you save money?
• Think big, and find ways to involve your whole school in the PLT GreenSchools! vision. The Two Rivers students were undaunted in their quest to install a wind spire on their school. With help from a PLT grant, and funds from the school’s administration, the project became a reality. To apply for a grant from PLT, visit www.greenschools.org for more information and an application form.
• Participate in PLT's GreenSchools! webinars. Learn from guest speakers, student Green Teams, and other teachers what they are doing to green schools across the country and the world. 
• Encourage your students to think about ways your Green Team’s work can be shared—with other students,  schools, community organizations, and the media. The most powerful service-learning projects are those that widen the circle of those involved in making schools and communities greener.

Kathy Westra is a writer and environmental communications consultant based in suburban Washington, D.C.