GVI-EN | Environmental Education and Venue Activities

Environmental Education: Environmental Education and Venue Activities

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the world population is expanding at a mind-boggling rate. The world reached 1 billion people in 1800; 2 billion by 1922; and over 6 billion by 2000. It is estimated that the population will swell to over 9 billion by 2050. That means that if the world’s natural resources were evenly distributed, people in 2050 will only have 25% of the resources per capita that people in 1950 had. The world has a fixed amount of natural resources - some of which are already depleted. So as population growth greatly strains our finite resources, there are fewer resources available. If we intend to leave our children and grandchildren with the same standard of living we have enjoyed, we must preserve the foundation of that standard of living. We save for college educations, orthodontia, and weddings, but what about saving clean air, water, fuel sources and soil for future generations?

Some of the greatest threats to future resources come from things we throw away everyday. Household batteries and electronics often contain dangerous chemicals that may, if sent to a local landfill, leak through the bottom barrier and pollute the groundwater. This can contaminate everything from the soil in which our food grows, to the water which will eventually come out of aquifers and into our tap water. Many of these chemicals cannot be removed from the drinking water supply, nor from the crops that are harvested from contaminated fields. The risks to human health are tremendous. We need to educate kids and adult on all these effects. Our Education program will be focusing on the following actions promoted by Go Green Initiative:

Protecting the Environment
Conserving Water
Increasing Production Efficiency
Increasing Competitive Edge
Using Raw Materials and Energy Efficiently
Improving Operating Practices

Increasing Customer Satisfaction
Improving Product Quality
Decreasing the Burden of Regulations
Reducing Disposal Costs
Reducing Long-term Liability
Being Part of the Solution

Throwing away items that could be recycled diminishes energy, water and natural resources that could be saved by recycling.

Did you know…

For every ton of paper that is recycled, the following is saved: 7,000 gallons of water; 380 gallons of oil; and enough electricity to power an average house for six months.
You can run a TV for six hours on the amount of electricity that is saved by recycling one aluminum can.
By recycling just one glass bottle, you save enough electricity to power a 100-watt bulb for four hours.

The more we throw away, the more space we take up in landfills. When a landfill becomes a “landfull”, taxpayers have to build a new one. The less we throw away, the longer our landfills will last. The amount of taxpayer money we save by extending the longevity of our landfills is an important community benefit.

Teachers and principals are busy people! They are under increasing pressure to teach an incredible amount of core curriculum each year, and do not have time in the school year to introduce superfluous environmental education (EE) curriculum. They need simple strategies for integrating EE into all classrooms, and they need a program that does not require a PhD in environmental science in order to implement it. They need a program that covers all aspects of their campus’ environmental impact, but is flexible and respectful of site-based goal setting and decision making. They need a program that involves all sectors of the campus stakeholders, so the work is divided among many, and the burden is light on all. They recognize the value of a three-dimensional approach to EE that promotes the critical thinking kids will need in the future. They have learned that one-dimensional programs that focus on only one aspect of EE are frustrating, and that disjointed efforts produce shallow and short-term results.

Schools across the nation are embracing the Go Green Initiative (GGI), because it is the only program that was developed based upon both environmental research and market research. We consider teachers, principals, custodians, parents and students our customers, and we engage in in-depth, ongoing market research to ensure that the users of our program are getting all they need in order to succeed. School communities that have adopted the Go Green Initiative tell us they enthusiastically endorse the program because:

The GGI is simple, and takes little time to become part of the school’s modus operandi
The GGI can be integrated into every classroom, every subject area
The GGI provides a framework for success that is flexible enough to allow every school’s Go Green program to be unique and site-specific
The GGI promotes teamwork among all sectors of the campus community – teachers, principals, custodians, parents, custodians, and students
The GGI is a full-service program, providing the resources, training and funding opportunities schools need to succeed
The GGI is panoramic, and examines all aspects of a school community’s environmental impact.