Volume 3, Issue 6
February, 2010
SCOPE FOR PARAS, CUSTODIAL, PLANT OPS., BUS DRIVERS AND OTHER EDU. EMPLOYEES
HELPING YOUR SCHOOL GO GREEN!
AFT helps kick off Alliance for Green Schools:
The AFT has joined the Coalition for Green Schools, a first –ever alliance among education groups committed to having all children attend a green school within one generation. For more information log on to:
Why Recycle?
Throwing away items that could be recycled diminishes energy, water and natural resources that could be saved by recycling.
Did you know...
· For every ton of paper that is recycled, the following is saved: 7,000 gallons of water; 380 gallons of oil; and enough electricity to power an average house for six months.
· You can run a TV for six hours on the amount of electricity that is saved by recycling one aluminum can.
· By recycling just one glass bottle, you save enough electricity to power a 100-watt bulb for four hours.
The more we throw away, the more space we take up in landfills. When a landfill becomes a “landfull”, taxpayers have to build a new one. The less we throw away, the longer our landfills will last. The amount of taxpayer money we save by extending the longevity of our landfills is an important community benefit.
Source: http://gogreeninitiative.org/content/WhyGoGreen/index.html
Bus Drivers:
Promote eco-friendly transportation practices. You can minimize idling time, to limit auto emissions while not en route. Switch off the bus while loading and unloading, this can make a big difference.
Grounds Maintenance:
Many of the eco-friendly changes you can make to the outside of the school are similar to changes you may have considered at home: planting evergreen trees on the north side of the building, and deciduous trees on the south and west sides; substituting ground covers for thirsty lawn; using hardy native plants, and so on. Consider having a tree drive, like you might have a canned food drive, to encourage community members and parents to donate plants for the school grounds. Plant them near air conditioners, and their shade will help the air conditioners use less valuable energy.
Custodial:
You are the key personnel to executing a successfully recycling plan. You can do your part by making sure that each classroom has a recycling bin for paper. Encourage your administration of the importance of recycling and ask for special garbage bins for paper and cans that can be placed in each hallway if they cannot afford one in each classroom.
Another way is while performing your daily duties be aware of your surroundings by checking the building for inefficiencies such as leaky taps or computers and printers left on overnight. Taking care of these little things can make a big difference in saving energy.
Give It a Try
Ultimately, sustainability is about being good global citizens, and about ensuring adequate resources for a clean, healthy environment for all citizens. Imagine if schools were leaders in environmental sustainability, giving students the tools to be innovators and social entrepreneurs and giving them a healthy environment in which to learn and play. Earth Day Network has set a goal to green all of America's schools within a generation. Can you imagine that? Green schools are not just a fad, they are the future. And the future starts now, and you can help build that future.
Texas AFT is on Facebook
become a fan today.
Story of AFT Working for You
Texas AFT Affiliate Pressure Helps Win Shutdown of Mold-Ridden School
Texas AFT leaders in Houston won a key battle Sept. 19 when the city's school board decided to close a middle school with a mold problem serious enough to send a steady stream of staff to the hospital for the past few weeks.
The school system will move about 650 students and more than 100 staff members at Key Middle School to another building while an expanded investigation of the problem is conducted. The superintendent said classes would be held Sept. 20 and then he would inform parents about plans for relocating.
The move, which Houston Federation of Teachers president Gayle Fallon calls "a no-brainer solution," nonetheless required intense pressure from the union, parents, the school's principal, a parade of epidemiologists and U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Houston). Areas of the school smell of mold, which is visible on walls.
The real soldiers in this battle, however, were custodians and teachers at the school who have fallen ill since Aug. 27, when five school employees filed workers compensation injury reports and the principal summoned the district to investigate mold in six classrooms. On Aug. 28, a teacher went to the hospital after feeling sick. That weekend, the district ordered custodians to clean the school and seven of them were hospitalized Sept. 2, at least partly for inhaling bleach-generated fumes during the cleanup.
Read complete story at:
RECIPE
Cheesy Crock Pot Chicken
Ingredients
6 chicken breasts (boneless & skinless)
salt & pepper to taste
garlic powder, to taste
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can cheddar cheese soup
Preparation
Rinse chicken and sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Mix undiluted soup and pour over chicken in the crock pot. Cook on low 6 to 8 hours. Serve over rice or noodles.
2010 Scholarship Opportunities for AFT Families
· Texas AFL-CIO Scholarship
· Union Plus Scholarship Horace Mann Scholarship
· Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship Robert G. Porter Scholarship (AFT)
· Loan Repayment Assistance
