With schools back in session, the start of a new year is the perfect time to encourage students to adopt eco-friendly habits that make a positive impact on the environment. From eco-conscious school supplies to creative projects using recycled materials, inspiring students to think critically about their environmental footprint can be both practical and engaging. These activities offer a great start to get students thinking about sustainability, with ideas that you can carry throughout the school year.
Make Eco-Friendly School Supplies
Create opportunities for students to embrace the idea of reusing, renewing, and recycling. It’s not just good for the environment but great for classroom unity, especially when students come to school with varying levels of need.
Here are some great ideas for eco-friendly school supplies:
- Use paper bags to create upcycled book covers.
- Turn old T-shirts into reusable pencil cases.
- Reuse old containers, like jars or cardboard tubes, for school supply storage.
- Design and then decorate reusable backpacks or tote bags using sustainable materials.
- Create notebooks, journals, or cards using recycled paper.
- Use cardboard boxes to construct DIY furniture like small desks, organizers, or shelving.
Set a good classroom example with teacher supplies, too. Come to the classroom with a reusable water bottle, choose eco-friendly art supplies, and opt for refurbished technologies when possible. Opt for writing tools made of sustainable materials. Grants from environmental organizations can make equipping your classroom in an eco-friendly way more possible.
Get Creative with Old Classroom Materials
Reusing school materials in fun, creative ways is a great way to reduce waste and boost 21st-century skills like innovation and critical thinking in your students. You can also explore ideas like fast fashion and sustainability by repurposing items that might otherwise end up in the trash. Teach your students about the impacts they can make choosing to reuse over buying new.
Here are a few ideas to find new uses for old materials:
- Cut plastic bottles into plant pots for growing classroom plants or personal herb gardens.
- Make an effort to collect and use old notebook pages as wrapping or DIY cards.
- Turn old marker caps that inevitably get loose in art supply bins into jewelry or string art.
- Reuse plastic binder covers or page protectors as mini dry-erase boards.
- Use old wooden rulers to make custom picture frames.
- Turn old staplers and other broken supplies into abstract sculptures, paperweights, or desk organizers.
- Weave old rubber bands together to create drink coasters.
- Repurpose binder rings into DIY keychains or mini photo albums by adding small pictures or charms through each loop.
Getting creative with old materials stretches budgets, too. Encourage resourcefulness with your students, especially when introducing projects that tap into their creativity.
Find STEAM All Around with Eco-Friendly Projects
Students are innately curious. Tap into that curiosity by showing them that connections to art (and science, technology, engineering, and math) are everywhere. These eco-friendly projects offer a great way to use natural materials with minimal impact on the environment and an eye on STEAM concepts to boost classroom skills. They can also help students see the beauty in the world around them and encourage resourcefulness.
Here are a few ideas to build STEAM connections with natural materials:
- Kick off the school year with fall-inspired art projects using pinecones, acorns, and fallen leaves.
- Use leaves to create activities for young learners like leaf sorting, scavenger hunts, and graphing.
- Create nature-inspired art year-round. Collect leaves, sticks, and other natural items for art projects that incorporate environmental elements.
- Gather plastic bottle caps or lids and turn them into colorful mosaics or murals.
- Turn old plastic bottles, spice jars, glass containers, and more into community bird feeders.
- Collect pencil shavings and use them to create textured artwork or collages.
- Use egg cartons, newspaper, toilet paper, and more for animal art projects that show off animal adaptations.
- Get hands-on with the “Make Your Own Paper / Haz tu Propio Papel” activity from Explore Your Environment: K-8 Activity Guide / Explora tu Ambiente: Guía de Actividades K-8. Using scraps of paper from the recycle bin, turn the old into new paper!
- Use sticks to lead students in STEM activities like building rafts, stick shelters, towers, and bird nests, all with connections to the natural world.
Integrating environmental projects into STEAM learning is future-thinking. It doesn’t just tap into important skills like problem-solving and innovation, it also helps them imagine a greener future.
Connect to Reading
You may already have plans to track your students’ reading throughout the year. Start a book club focused on environmental literature as a way to get more students reading. Prompt discussions on sustainability at meetups with your book club students.
Here are some lists that can get you started:
- Books on Recycling for Elementary Students
- Nature Books By Hispanic and Latino Authors
- Environmental Children’s Books Featuring BIPOC Protagonists
- Books About Trees for Elementary Students
- Environmental Stories for Black History Month
- Recommended Reading for Forest Lovers
- Energy: Reading for Grades K-2
- Energy: Reading for Grades 3-5
- Energy: Reading for Grades 6-8
- Environmental Justice: A Reading List for Teens
- Chapter Books for Environmental Advocates
- Middle-Grade Books About Environmental Activism
Foster a love of reading in your students and tap into environmental stewardship. Allow students to take the lead on discussions that follow about topics like conservation and the beauty of nature. With younger students, share stories about the environment that helps them create deeper connections. Engage in all their “why” questions along the way to help them develop empathy about the world around them through their curiosity.
Engage the School Community
Creating opportunities for the whole school to get involved in an eco-friendly project makes that project feel much bigger. It shows students that these issues are important well beyond the classroom and that small actions can lead to big, positive change as the more like-minded people get involved.
Check out the “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” / “Reduce, Reutiliza, Recicla” activity from Explore Your Environment: K-8 Activity Guide / Explora tu Ambiente: Guía de Actividades K-8 as a great activity for learners in grades 3-8 to brainstorm ways to reduce their community’s waste production and improve its management. For a longer-term project that can be adopted school-wide, PLT’s GreenSchools Investigations encourages students, educators, and school leaders to work together to create a more sustainable and greener campus.
Here are a few ideas for school-wide projects to kick off the start of the year:
- Create a school garden that shows off local species to support sustainable planting, attract pollinators, and/or harvest fruits and vegetables.
- Start a composting program in the school garden or cafeteria and teach students about composting benefits.
- Inspire students with stories from young environmentalists who can serve as role models for environmental projects.
- Conduct an audit to assess the school’s environmental impact, identifying areas for improvement.
- Launch a school-wide challenge to reduce waste, especially when it comes to single-use plastic, or a comprehensive recycling program with student-led monitoring.
- Encourage students to pack zero-waste lunches using reusable containers, utensils, and cloth napkins.
- Develop a plan to reduce water consumption in the school and organize campaigns to raise awareness about the importance of water conservation at school and at home.
- Plan an energy conservation challenge to reduce electricity usage through energy-efficient practices. In the “Exploration Energy!” / “¡Explorando la Energía!” activity from Explore Your Environment: K-8 Activity Guide / Explora tu Ambiente: Guía de Actividades K-8
- Hold a clothing swap where students and staff can trade gently used clothing to reduce textile waste and encourage sustainable fashion.
- Introduce a “green classroom” certification where classes earn points for eco-friendly behaviors like reducing waste and using recycled supplies.
- Create an environmental art installation using recycled materials, raising awareness about sustainability.
- Want more inspiration? Learn more about what several schools in Kentucky did to become more sustainable.
Give ample time for discussion around student-led actions that can spark school-wide interest, like recycling programs, eco-friendly fundraisers, and sustainability clubs like Green Teams. When students take the lead, they inspire others to join in on the effort. By working together, students develop skills in leadership and teamwork while making meaningful contributions to a healthier planet.
Engage the Whole Community
Engaging the whole community in back-to-school activities fosters a connected environment that emphasizes the importance of working together to support the environment. Organize eco-friendly drives for reusable supplies or plan clean-up events. Turn the school garden into a community garden, connect with local businesses and environmental businesses for guest speaker opportunities, or create opportunities for student-led recycling initiatives.
Think about ways to share what you’re doing in your classroom with the community. Bring art installations to the local library, community center, or other places where people gather. Teach students about ways to bring awareness to environmental issues using social media, videos, or podcasts.
Engaging the whole community with eco-friendly classroom projects can create a collaborative effort toward sustainability while enhancing student learning. Start by inviting parents and local volunteers to participate in hands-on activities like recycling drives, school garden planting, or creating art from reusable materials. Partner with local businesses or environmental organizations for resources, guest speakers, or sponsorships. Hosting community events, such as green fairs or exhibitions, can showcase students’ eco-friendly projects and spread awareness. Involving everyone, from students to community leaders, fosters a collective sense of responsibility, strengthens community ties, and empowers all participants to contribute to a greener future.
