Jun 17 2008
IXG Education Foundation, an organization dedicated to promoting sustainable, impactful pro-green behaviors in children, families and communities, today announced the results of the first ever “Green School Experiment” at a special event at the Fisher Elementary School in North Walpole, Mass. The educational program was introduced to students and faculty on June 3, and challenged them to adopt simple “green” habits to reduce their classroom waste by 50 percent.
Using their new IXG Green Packs — reusable water bottle, drink thermos, snack containers, organic cotton tee shirt, reusable shopping bag, bottle brush cleaner and instructional insert — Fisher Elementary students had the opportunity to experience firsthand how much of an impact these simple habits can have. In fact, their efforts far surpassed the Experiment’s goal, reducing classroom waste by an astounding 70 percent. Combined overall school waste was reduced by an equally impressive 53 percent.
One of the eco-friendly behaviors promoted by the Experiment is the reduction of milk and milk carton waste through student use of a thermos, which helps students conveniently pack the right amount of milk for their day. This proved to be a significant factor in the Experiment’s success, with students reducing by 30 percent the amount of unconsumed, wasted milk.
The Fisher Elementary Green School Experiment has drawn support from community leaders and politicians — both at the local and national level. Massachusetts House Majority Leader John H. Rogers and State Senator James E. Timilty attended the event to applaud the efforts of students and staff. The support and sentiment of the local representatives was echoed by U.S. Senator John Kerry, who offered the following statement:
“I am proud to congratulate The Fisher Elementary School’s students, faculty, and staff on their efforts towards creating a cleaner environment through the ‘Green School Experiment.’ This project is not only effective in reducing waste but it also provides an interactive way for students to learn about the environment and why it is so important to ensure we safeguard it for future generations. Taking this initiative demonstrates how committed The Fisher Elementary School community is to the goal of environmental sustainability and I commend all involved in this effort.”
Key statistics from the Fisher Elementary School Green Experiment include:
- The Fisher School students reduced classroom waste by 70 percent in just one day using their IXG Green Pack tools.
- If the Fisher School students reduced their waste by the same amount for the 2008-09 school year the saving in trash to the town and environment would be 17.5 tons.
- If all the students in Walpole reduced their waste by the same amount for the 2008-09 school year the saving in trash to the town and environment would be 148 tons.
- If all the students across the state of Massachusetts in public schools alone reduced their waste by the same amount for the 2008-09 school year the saving in trash to the state would be 36,800 tons.
- If all the students across the country in public schools alone reduced their waste by the same amount for the 2008-09 school year the saving in trash to the country would be 1,850,235 tons, which equates to roughly $252 million dollars in national waste removal fees.
“The positive results attained by these students are immense and demonstrate how easy it can be to reduce waste on a dramatic scale. Children are the true green keepers of our natural resources and with our support can re-shape how we address monumental environmental problems,” said Victoria Waters, founder, IXG Education Foundation. “The results of this first Experiment are incredibly compelling and encouraging, and were accomplished with only minimal pre-Experiment education to the participants. The Fisher Elementary students and staff have set a wonderful standard for other schools to replicate nationwide.”
The IXG Education Foundation plans to leverage the success of the pilot program to extend the Green School Experiment to schools across multiple states this fall and nationwide in 2009. The Foundation encourages schools and children to visit www.freegreenpacks.com to sign-up for a free Green Pack, based upon funding availability, and learn about how to have a positive impact on the environment. Schools interested in signing up to participate in a Green School Experiment can visit www.ixgef.org for more information. Free green packs are available on a first-come, first-served basis due to the generous support of individual and corporate sponsors. Companies wishing to support and promote green education in our schools can learn more about sponsorship opportunities at www.ixgef.org. Green Packs are also available for sale on the website and there is an ROI calculator to help families measure how much going green can save financially; all proceeds are used for green education.