photo credit Cosmic Timetraveler & Unsplash
photo credit Cosmic Timetraveler & Unsplash
This year we are hosting our annual Sustainability and Garden Forum virtually leading up to Earth Day. Join us beginning Monday, April 12 through Tuesday, April 20th and check out the Earth Day tab below for more ways to get involved and have an impact.
The Denver Public Schools Sustainability Department works throughout the year to make our buildings and operations more sustainable. We would like to provide our community access to resources and ideas to help make your home and neighborhood more sustainable as well. Many of the resources below address wellness and what you can do to take care of yourself physically and mentally.
Some actions you can take to make an impact in your home and neighborhood are performing DIY energy audits, replacing less- efficient light bulbs with LEDs, checking for leaking toilets and faucets, growing your own food, neighborhood cleanups, refreshing your knowledge of recycling rules, and many more actions! Check out the tabs and links below to get started!
If you or someone you know are facing food insecurity, get assistance through Hunger Free Colorado’s Food Resource Hotline, 720-855-4626.
Be sure to take time for your health and wellness. Activities that connect us to nature or help others have been proven to improve our own physical and mental health and overall wellness.
Tag your activities on social media! Follow us on Instagram @dps_sustainability and @dpsgardens!
#DenverPublicSchools #DenverPublicSchoolsEarthDay #DenverPublicSchoolsSustainability #EarthDayEveryDay
Earth Day 2021 Online and at Home: Here are some activities that you can participate in from home and establish new habits that will last.
Time spent in nature has a positive impact on our physical and mental health. Photo Public Domain.
Connecting with nature: Now more than ever, it is important to be connected with nature to find inspiration and a renewed purpose in protecting the environment that we depend on for survival.
Living Wall ©Vera Kratochvil
Climate Crisis: Perhaps the most pressing environmental issue of our time, the climate crisis is requiring us to rethink how we live our lives. While many of our activities contribute to climate change, energy use accounts for about three-quarters of global GHG emissions. In Colorado, 85% of emissions are from our buildings, transportation and industry. So what can you do? Below are a few tips that can help you reduce your own carbon footprint.
Carbon Footprint: All of us are responsible for adding carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. There are many websites you can use to calculate your carbon footprint that also offer suggestions on how to reduce it, such as meatless Mondays, taking public transportation, or riding a bike when possible instead of using a car. We all have a part to play in the fight against Climate Change. And the good thing is it improves our air quality at the same time so fewer Ozone alerts and fewer lost school and work days due to pollution-linked health problems.
Home Energy Use: There are many ways to make your energy use at home more sustainable and save money. From energy audits to using renewable energy like solar, we can all reduce our carbon footprint and help Earth.
President Obama Solar in Denver ©The White House
Plant Trees: While we need to reduce our emissions, we also need to ensure we are pulling carbon out of the atmosphere. Protecting, restoring, and expanding our tree cover is vital.
Transportation: Check out our Transportation tab for ideas on how to make your next trip more sustainable.
South Platte River ©Kent Kanouse
Water Conservation: Water is precious, and it is especially important to conserve in our dry climate. We often don’t think of the energy it takes to get clean water to our homes, but there is a lot involved from purification, transport and finally sewage treatment. We can all make a difference by making sure we aren’t wasting water and even employing rain barrels to water our lawns and gardens with.
Reduce food waste and help those in need: It’s important to know that the dates on foods are BEST BY dates, they are not expiration dates except in the case of infant formula. Simply throwing food away because it is past the date on the product wastes money and valuable resources. For more information look to these resources to help understand all those dates and know what is safe to eat and what should be thrown out or better yet, composted:
Help address food insecurity:
Food Shelters in the area still need donations and volunteers.
If you have space in your yard or garden, consider Planting a Row for the Hungry. Take all the produce from the designated rows to your local food bank.
If you or someone you know are facing food insecurity, get assistance through Hunger Free Colorado’s Food Resource Hotline, (855) 855-4626. You can also find food pantries in your city.
Take a ride with the Life of a Strawberry, and learn about a typical food journey!
Making sense of all the recycling do’s and don’ts: Unfortunately, every city and town in the Denver Metro area has slightly different rules for recycling, and if you hire a private waste hauler, their rules may be different as well. To help make sense of it all here are some links for the City and County of Denver. Knowing these rules will help you know what to do when you are in a DPS building as well. In addition, if your trash service is through the City and County of Denver, sign up for composting if you haven’t already!
For spring cleaning and home improvement projects, here’s help for those hard to dispose of items:
Growing food in your own backyard can be simple and rewarding. ©Larry Bacon
Gardening at Home: Food security is a very real issue for many of us and the ability to access healthy and fresh foods can be difficult for many. Growing your own food is one way to help yourself and neighbors access fresh fruits and vegetables, while connecting with nature and getting outside. Even if you have never gardened before or don’t think you have space there are many resources to help you get started in your growing adventure.
If you have space in your yard or garden, consider Planting a Row for the Hungry. Take all the produce from the designated rows to your local food bank.
A student attending classes online. ©CollegeDegrees360.com.
Teaching Resources:
Many organizations are providing online learning materials and lesson plans. These can be useful for our teachers working diligently to keep our students engaged and learning, or for those parents who are trying to find ways to keep their kids busy and not just playing video games. Green Schoolyards America has resources for teaching outdoors during COVID-19.
Bike to School ©Wikimedia Commons
Personal transportation: When it comes to getting around, there are many options that most of us can use to limit our use of personal vehicles or when we do, make sure that it is sustainable.