Today is Friday, February 10, 2012
Today is Friday, February 10, 2012
The MVLA Green School Summit took place on Thursday, January 21 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the Eagle Theatre.
Students from the local K-12 schools participated in the event in order to express the environmentally friendly efforts of their schools. Viewers learned about the benefits of reducing, reusing and recycling from the presentations of 15 students, each representing a local school.
The idea for the Green School Summit was born out of the district’s Sustainability Task Force, which met last year. The event, initially scheduled by District Superintendent Dr. Barry Groves, took place for the first time. Its purpose was to raise awareness and to support the young people of today in their ambitions to “go green.”
“It really is through the focus of students that you can make a big difference,” Groves said.
Students, parents and community members alike were encouraged to attend the event, which had a turnout of about 70 people.
“It was a good opportunity for high school students to learn what elementary kids are doing to help save the environment and about the little things that we can do ourselves to make a difference,” junior Peter Ambiel said.
The event, according to Green Team Parent Liaison and Chair of PTSA Go Green Committee Sybil Cramer, sought to “celebrate the green actions by students at LAHS and [those of] other local schools.”
Groves said that the organizers of the event wanted to give students the opportunity to be able to “[share ideas] about what is happening, and what is possible in the area of creating a more sustainable learning environment.”
“I saw the passion and caring of our students and what they wanted to do for our schools and our community and thought this was a great way for [people] to hear all the great things that are happening,” Groves said.
Various programs included all of the elementary schools in the Los Altos School District, Living Classrooms (a program that offers volunteer lessons to many schools), Blach and Egan Junior High, LAHS, Mountain View High School, Saint Francis High School and Foothill College. In addition to the various five-minute student presentations, an exhibit and display board section was set up outside the theater.
LAHS Green Team members said they had high hopes that the other schools in the district would be able to decrease their toll on the environment by conducting another school’s project on campus.
The different presentations showcased the efforts taken by students to preserve the environment. The event featured projects like the Cell Phone/ Battery Recycling program at MVHS and the Freiker Program, which works to reduce carbon dioxide emissions at Almond by encouraging biking to school. Blach students spoke about their school’s PG&E energy efficiency award, while students from Egan presented their Gray Water Capture and Paper Recycling program.
“We tried to find something unique in each school, and something that the kids were excited about,” Cramer said.
The LAHS Green Team presented its ink cartridge and plastic bottle recycling programs. In addition, it spoke about its new Carbon Free Commute Challenge, which aims to encourage students to bike to school in order to reduce the school’s carbon footprint.
“Our objective for this is to encourage students who aren’t driving to continue to not drive and to [encourage] bikers to stay on their bikes,” LAHS Green Team member junior Edmund Xu said. “We’re trying to reduce [the] carbon footprint and to reduce air pollution.”
LAHS was chosen by Groves to host the event because “it is an excellent venue with students who are passionate about our environment.”
The MVLA District hopes to take an active and positive role toward a greener, healthier and more sustainable school system through events like the Green School Summit.
“I really feel like young people are the vibrant creative force in our community,” Cramer said. “[They are] the future … the green star heroes of today as well as tomorrow.”
