Students are planting, recycling, and advocating to “green” New York City.
At Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Manhattan, the "Green Team" unveiled new, reusable water bottles and recycling bins stationed at elevators on each floor. In honor of Earth Day, students also drew posters and held seminars on what it means to be "trashy," their term for saving paper.
“Conservation starts in school and we’re a school of thoughtful students and staff who actively recycle and reuse to help improve the environment,” Principal Dimitri Saliani said.
At the High School of Environmental Studies in Manhattan, students maintain a roof garden. They have also helped to plant thousands of trees and they recently sent a group of students to a summit in Japan to discuss ways to promote sustainability.
"Our students are environmental ambassadors," Principal Shirley Matthews said. "They are committed to a greener planet."
Students say they respect the environment—and some say they’re interested in pursuing “green jobs” once they’re finished with school.
An eleventh grader at the High School of Environmental Studies, Christina Choe, was an assistant park ranger at Central Park last year as part of an internship program. She said she’d like to eventually teach developing countries how to conserve.
Her classmate, Deisi Cuarte, has interned at the Wave Hill Gardens in the Bronx where she gathered and worked with sustainable material to create art projects. "There is so much material that naturally falls from trees," she said.
At PS 132 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, students are involved in many service projects, including a school-wide recycling program.
If you would like to tell us about things you’ve done to help the environment at school or on your own time, or if you’d like to read about what schools are doing to be green, visit our new blog, Going Green in New York City’s Public Schools.