A Green Steps School is an environmental education and action initiative that recognizes schools in South Carolina who take annual sustainable steps toward becoming more environmentally responsible.
The schools participate by completing specific project laid out in a lesson plan, including team members who will coordinate each project. It’s a team effort within the school.
Each project has 3 components:
- The students learn something about caring for the environment
- They do something that is beneficial for the environment
- Then they teach someone what they’ve learned
Projects are categorized as Conserve projects, Protect projects and Restore projects.
Conserve Projects encompass conserving energy, reducing, reusing or recycling or green purchasing.
Protect Projects include protecting air, water and litter prevention.
Restore Projects consist of restoring soil or habitats.
There are many project ideas under each category. So teachers can choose one that suits their school and their abilities. Or they can even create a new project.
The projects are easy to accomplish within the student’s realm of ability. And the projects are sustainable (or repeatable). We are aiming to accomplish four projects each year. We have a mentor who works with us to keep us on track with our projects–and to verify when we’ve completed our initiatives.
Cola City is the pioneer homeschool program participating in Green Steps. We are excited to learn about environmental issues and get our students involved. In addition to the educational endeavors, these projects are also community service oriented.
Pick and choose the projects you’d like to do. Past projects that we have done:
- Solar Ovens Make-it Take-it
- Pollinator Plants
- Junior Forester Badge at Harbison State Forest
- Cardboard Challenge
- Farm Tours: Sal’s Feed & Seed and Goat Daddy’s
- Compost Project
- Seed Paper Valentines
- Litter Pick-up / Litter Trashes Everyone Poster Contest
- Pollinator Nests/Pollinator Nest Make-it Take-it
- Shoe Recycling Project
- Science Share Fair/Earth Day
Want to join our Green Team and help implement projects about our environment?
GREEN TEAM INTEREST FORM