Green Schools 2011
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From Kent ISD Superintendent Kevin Konsarska
It's great to celebrate Earth Day 2011 and the 4th Annual Kent ISD & Kent County Green Schools Awards Ceremony with students, teachers and administrators. Some of your schools have been with us since the beginning and others are new. All of you and your efforts are all very much appreciated.
We at Kent ISD are partnering with the good people at Kent County on several very successful initiatives and we truly appreciate their working with us on Green Schools. We are the first Green Schools program in the state created as a partnership with the ISD and the County. Several other partnerships now exist in the Lansing area and southeast Michigan, but ours is the most extensive program.
Our friends at Kent County are deeply involved in environmental stewardship. A few examples are:
- their work in resources management of our many parks and recreation facilities,
- recycling efforts with the brand new Recycling Center - which includes programs for students
- And green building - with the new LEED certified Human Services building they opened a little over a year ago
Thank you Kent County, for the environmental leadership that benefits all of us.
While today is about celebrating, we've had terrible and sobering environmental lessons unfold in our world since we were together last year. The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico dumped millions of gallons into a very important ecosystem for all kinds of sea animals and waterfowl, with damage likely to last for decades.
So too, with the disaster in Japan, with radioactive particles detected around the world. And with so many towns and buildings swept out to sea, a giant debris field is floating through the waters, with some of it expected to land on U.S. shores in the next year or so.
In many ways, these enormous messes will be yours to clean up and figure out how to prevent in the future. Our world needs your help and I'm so glad all of you care so much. Reading how your environmental activities and this awards program have helped your schools was really gratifying, and gives me confidence that you will successfully face these challenges.
This impact statement from one of the middle schools said it so well: "Attitude and behaviors follow beliefs and values. The Green Schools certification has upped our consciousness around what can be done to further our efforts to reduce, reuse, and recycle. There is also an accountability component in the documentation -- what gets measured gets done. Thank you for ensuring that our staff, students, parents, and community keep their minds thinking green."