Van Buren Elementary started a Green Team last year, and it shows! The Green Team created a student-run recycling program that doubled the number of discarded recyclable items. The graph above shows how many pounds of recycled material from Van Buren for each school year dating back to 2018-2019. Congratulations, Van Buren Green Team, on all your extraordinary efforts to reduce waste and increase sustainability education across your school. We can't wait to see what your team will accomplish this year!

CRCSD students and staff play an important role in reducing our energy and water usage, waste consumption, and carbon footprint.

Energy Star Scores compare buildings similar to ours with others nationwide. So what can your school and staff do to increase your Energy Star Score? There is a list of simple ways to decrease energy usage at your school on our website; click on the Report Card button below. 

Contact our Energy Project Supervisor, Tammy Carter, for additional information or questions.

The Green Team at Van Buren created and ordered some specialized shirts this year. Looking good, team!

Pierce Green Team collected a haul of candy wrappers for the Trick or Trash project this year. The team will send the wrappers to a company specializing in upcycling, turning the wrappers into doggie bags for animal shelters. Thanks for reducing and reusing Panthers!

The Arthur Green Team has been busy growing citrus fruits such as lemons and oranges. We can't wait to see what they do with their harvests!

Johnson Steam Academy's Green Team is hard at creating a giant Thanksgiving poster. Their poster illustrates and educates on the importance of being sustainable even during the holidays.

Green teams participate in unique challenges each month and allow for the opportunity to teach students about environmental best practices. In addition, teams that participate earn funding for projects and activities thanks to our generous local business sponsors.

December is a short month for students, so this challenge focuses on the Winter Salt Watch with the Izaak Walton League. Testing and recording the chloride levels of our streams or sampling snow from your school grounds is a great way to learn about the effects of our de-icing methods on our watershed. If your Green Team is interested in participating in this, please get in touch with Green Team Coordinator Kristine Sorensen. She can direct you on how to do this with your Green team and/or provide you with the needed educational materials.

Each participating team will receive $200, thanks to our sponsors!

Events happening near you

Click on the links below to find out how you can get in touch with nature or learn something new about sustainability and the environment.

Indian Creek Nature Center

Dec 3 - Nature's Noel

Prairiewoods

Dec 7 - Full Moon Nature & Forest Therapy Walk

Dec 12 - Afternoon Nature & Forest Therapy Walk

Marion

Dec 2 - Christmas in the Park and Peppermint Walk

Iowa Equestrian Center: Kirkwood

Dec 11 - Deck the Stalls

Linn County Conservation

Dec 21 - Solstice Ramble at Wickiup Hill