Use this letter template to provide teachers with instructions to conduct the Waste-Free Snacks Challenge.
**For best results, copy and paste this template into a Word document for editing and customization.**
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Date
To Staff:
The (your school’s name) is pleased to participate in a very exciting green educational opportunity that will educate our children on how simple eco-decisions, like selection of waste-free snacks and drinks, can impact the future health of our planet. Our school's National Green Week 2012 is scheduled to take place during the week of __________. (input the Green Week dates that your school's waste-free snack program is scheduled).
National Green Week Overview
The week prior to National Green Week 2012 or your Green Week (date) please follow this step-by-step process:
Assign student Green Keepers to bring their classroom trash to a central weigh-in location where we will calculate our school-wide snack trash. We will then extrapolate that calculation to determine our average weekly snack-waste.
Inform your students that we want to eliminate this trash by bringing in waste-free snacks and drinks in reusable containers and water bottles throughout National Green Week. For more details visit the Waste-Free Snacks Procedures in the National Green Week Start-Up Kit. Request that parents bring in waste-free lunches to work during National Green Week to support their children’s efforts.
In the curriculum section of the Green Education Foundation site click on National Green Week to review the environmental curricula available. Consider integrating available lessons, books, videos, community service projects, and hands-on activities into next week’s curricula. Participate in interactive forums available on the National Green Week group in the Community section of the site.
During National Green Week or your own Green Week students are requested to bring in waste-free snacks and drinks in reusable snack and drink containers. Uneaten food should be sent back home in the reusable containers so parents and students can learn to pack accordingly. Students will weigh their classroom waste on (add date that you plan to weigh trash) using the same procedure we used for the pre-program weigh-in.
Optional: Our mayor/government official will be instructing town employees to bring in waste-free lunches during National Green Week in support of our students. Post National Green Week
After National Green Week (or your own Green Week until April 16), we will tally the results of the experiment, announce them to students and their families, and report back to the Green Education Foundation for a countrywide tally.
Document the lessons and activities you are conducting in conjunction with the waste-reduction program and submit any photos or videos to the National Green Week site. They will be considered for Green In-Action Awards.
I would like to personally thank each of you for participating in this sustainability education program.
Sincerely,
(Principal Name)
