The Green Club
Mt. Airy Middle School's
Green Club
MISSION
We are a group of students who use education and action to help our school and community
- conserve what we have,
- reduce what we consume,
- recycle what we finish,
- protect what is vulnerable,
- change what is unsafe, and
- enjoy what is beautiful on our planet.
MEETINGS
*Our next meeting will take place Tuesday, April 6.
The Green Club meets the first Tuesday of each month
from 3:30-4:30 p.m. after school in Ms. Andersen's classroom.
*Make sure you have a ride home at 4:30!
ACTION
Stop Phantom Energy Waste!
The Green Club has purchased and made available for Mt. Airy Middle teachers and staff free power strips that will help minimize phantom energy consumption caused when electronic equipment is plugged into electrical receptacles. Help stop the valuable energy that is wasted in passive and active stand-by modes by picking up a free power strip in the MAMS main office.
New Classroom Recycling Program!
Students from the Green Club realized that while the recyling system in the cafeteria was being utilized effectively, many classrooms throughout our middle school building were not equipped with a recycling receptacle. In an effort to standardize the recycling program the Green Club purchased, with support from our custodial staff, enough recycling bins for each classroom. Green Club students decorated the bins with illustrations of what can and cannot be recycled making it easy for students, staff, and visitors to use and participate in our recycling program.
Update on our Rain Garden
In conjunction with Team Gold 7, the Green Club helped write a Chesapeake Bay Grant to request funding to create a school rain garden. After being awarded the grant last Spring, the rain garden was created below our lower parking lot. Recently while preparing the garden for winter, our Green Club members found that the rain garden had not only stopped debris and pollutants from entering the Bay, but it had stopped a significant amount of tar left over from the trucks who had been paving the road earlier this year. Way to go rain garden!
Westminster Venturing Club Joins MAMS Green Club meeting
Any 8th grader interested in joining Venturing Crew 202, sponsored by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, please contact Mr. Paul Kazyak, co-advisor at 410-848-0624 or at pkazyak@dnr.state.md.us .
Waste Free Cafeteria: April 21-23
The Green Club hosted a Waste Free Lunch competition between the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. Students were encouraged to reduce the amount of waste they throw away during lunch time by packing their food in reusable containers and being mindful about the portions they pack or accept in the lunch line.
Energy Awareness Week: March 2-6
Members of the Green Club collected data this week on our school's energy consumption by identifying how many lights are left on or are turned off when a classroom is vacant. Ask a Green Club member to explain our Energy Hog and Energy Star program! *Check out the next Green Tip bulletin for easy ways to conserve energy at home and at school.
Recycling Program
The Green Club created a new recycling system for students and staff! Read below to learn how you can help at school, home, and in your community!
Here is what you can do to recycle at school:
- Use the recycling bins located at the front of the cafeteria! Finish all of the liquids in your drink containers and recycle your can, plastic or glass bottle, or milk carton.
- Use the paper recycling bins in each of your classrooms! Find the paper recycling box in each classroom and recycle you used paper.
- Community Recycling Center at MAMS for recyclable batteries, cell phones, ink cartridges, and plastic bags.
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Start recycling at home! Check out Carroll County’s recycling program at www.ccgovernment.carr.org/ccg/recycle/recycle.asp, for more information about how to recycle used materials at your home.
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Here is another great resource to check out: www.mdrecycles.org
Lost Lady Bug Project
Ladybugs keep our farms and forests from being overrun by pests like aphids and mealy bugs. Native ladybugs (ladybugs that are originally from North America), however, are being replaced with a foreign species and scientists at Cornell University are concerned about whether the exotic species will be able to control pests as well as our native ladybugs have been able to. Click here to learn more information about the Lost Ladybug Project and how you can help!
Upcoming Events
Check out www.greenfestivals.org, to learn more information about the upcoming annual fall Green Festival in Washington DC.
Suggestions
Suggestions or Comments: Please contact Ms. Andersen (Green Club advisor) if you have any "green" suggestions or comments about our website at aeander@carrollk12.org
Image credit: www.nasa.gov (images for public domain)
