Why start in schools?

Why Go Green

Schools represent a large sector of the waste producers in this country, and they are typically some of the larger institutions in every municipality. If schools embrace environmentally responsible behaviors, there will be an immediate impact on its community’s contribution to the local landfill. The Go Green Initiative has tracked waste diversion data for Go Green schools since 2002, and found that tremendous amounts of waste diversion and recycling are possible. Click here to see results from 2008.

Schools that model and teach principles of environmentally responsible behaviors to students will have a long-term impact. Teachers and parents are working everyday to educate the next generation of business owners and government officials. We can equip them with the knowledge and skills they will need in the future to manage the complexities of the environmental impact inherent in all activities.

Schools will serve as a catalyst for the community at large. We call this the “spillover effect” of the Go Green Initiative. By involving parents, teachers, administrators, city government and local businesses in the Go Green Initiative, we find that the environmentally responsible behavior that is modeled at school is taken into the community at large. Parents who see recycling in the classrooms often report reinforcing that behavior at home, and working to institute recycling at work, as well. City governments who support the efforts of their Go Green schools often look for ways to expand recycling and waste reduction efforts citywide.