In a partnership between the School District and the non-profit Community Sustainability USA, a pilot project was launched on Wednesday morning at Linwood Howe Elementary School to build awareness of sustainability and to inspire behavior changes at school and at home.
Two back-to-back morning assemblies with a “CooltheEarth.org” skit performed by a group of Culver City High School students will kick off the campaign.
“The sustainable transformation of Linwood Howe is exciting,” said Meghan Sahli Wells, a parent and candidate for the City Council. “Kids, teachers, parents and staff are working to make changes in our everyday lives to improve our environment and our future.” Here is how the campaign works. Students and their families take a baseline sustainability survey. They learn the science behind it, commit in writing to five behavior changes that will lead to greater sustainability and to encourage others to change behaviors. Their behavior changes are tracked and reported.
Students, classrooms and grade levels that excel in participation and behavior change progress will receive recognition and rewards.
Green behaviors – using natural sunlight when possible to light up classrooms, layering up or down to regulate temperature, opening doors and windows to reduce energy consumption, unplugging and sharing electronics, using reusable bottles; and committing to reduce, reuse, and recycle – advance sustainability. “Through Green, we aim to make a real positive shift in Lin Howe community’s culture by bringing the concept of sustainability and its significance to the forefront of our everyday lives,” said Shea Cunningham, a parent of two students and an advisory member of the School District’s Environmental Sustainability Committee.
For more information, see
ccusd.org/sustainability and communitysustainabilityusa.org.
Sustainability is about meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Advancing sustainability is widely recognized in the scientific, business, and policy worlds as critical to maintaining a good quality of life, preserving our natural resources, and ensuring business profitability.
“Sustainability as a concept can seem overwhelming, but at Community Sustainability USA, we’re proving that lots of people making small behavior changes can have a big impact and can drive big policy changes,” said Community Sustainability USA founder, Chris Ann Lunghino. “When people make incremental behavior changes for a sustainable future, they start to see themselves as people who care about sustainability, which naturally leads to more and bigger behavior changes.
“Research shows that people are more likely to follow through on behavior changes when they commit in a group in writing and their commitment is publicized,” she continued.
Community Sustainability USA was established in December 2010 to educate communities about sustainability through their schools, civic institutions, businesses and other community groups and empower them to make their actions count for the planet.
For information, Ms. Lunghino may be contacted at chris@communitysustainabilityusa.org
Mr.Maleman may be contacted at gmaleman@aol.com.
