Green School Initiative
Green School Points
The staff and students of Capital Area Academy have completed many projects in order to earn Green School Certification. For the 2009-2010 school year, the following points were completed.
School-wide Recycling: The school has teamed up with the City of Lansing to do curb-side recycling. Bins were donated to the school and sit in each classroom, office, and numerous bins in the kitchen. Prior to this the school was not recycling paper at all or large aluminum cans used for lunches.
Magazine Recycling: A bin was placed in a central location to allow staff and students to recycle school appropriate magazines to be used for student and school projects.
Adopt an Endangered Species:
Staff and students teamed up to donate $1.00 to wear jeans in order to raise money for an Endangered Species adoption from Potter Park Zoo. The class with the highest percentage of participation will be able to name the animal and create a display board for the school to see. UPDATE! CAA raised $125 and adopted a penguin (Alexander the Mighty Penguin) and a kookaburra (Sunny).
Energy Reduction Plan: Two staffmembers analyzed utility bills and determined the most money could be saved by shutting off computers at the end of the day and turning off the lights when not in use. CAA is aiming to reduce energy usage by 5%. There have been signs placed around the school as reminders to turn off lights, turn down thermostats, and turn off computers.
Ecological Presentation: A representative from the State of Michigan visited CAA and educated middle school students on Green Building.
Birdhouse Habitat: Using recycled materials, students created birdhouses that will provide shelter to many of the school’s native birds.
Ink Cartridge Recycling: CAA has teamed up with Office Max to recycle ink cartridges donated to the school. The school receives $1.00 per cartridge.
Battery Recycling: A battery recycling station has been set up for students and staff to deposit batteries. Staff members then take the batteries to an appropriate recycling center.
Earth Day Celebration: Representative from the student body and staff visited the Lansing Earth Day Celebration at City Hall. They even had their picture taken with the mayor!
Poster Project: Students in grades K-5 created posters for entry in a contests through the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. Posters celebrated Earth Day.
Green Links: Students visit a website that provides links to earth friendly websites. Students are able to visit this site from home as well.
Plastic Bag Recycling: Plastic grocery bags are collected in the school lobby and then taken to a grocery store that recycles them for reuse.
TerraCycle: CAA collects Capri Sun pouches, Elmer’s Glue bottles, Frito Lay bags, Lunchable containers, and cell phones for recycling. Many of this “trash” gets recycled into new products.
Garden: CAA is home to a pesticide free garden. This garden provides produce to families and is maintained by students. The Ready, Set, Grow! garden is funded through the Lansing Garden Project.
