Environmental Defenders

The Environmental Defenders program offers a 30 minute interactive assembly presentation that is free to all elementary schools (K-5th grade) in Los Angeles County. This dynamic, music driven show is proven to inspire students to take action and do more to protect the environment. Topics covered include Solid Waste, the Four R’s (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Rethink), Stormwater Pollution Prevention, Household Hazardous and Electronic Waste, and Water Conservation. An interactive website, EnvironmentalDefendersLA.com, extends learning beyond the classroom.

To schedule, submit an Assembly Scheduling Form or call (310) 551-5375.

Generation Earth

The Generation Earth program provides development training and personalized support to secondary school teachers and students. It encourages those who want to make a difference in their local environment by creating campus eco-projects.

Resources

The California Education and the Environment Initiative provides standard-based K-12 teaching curriculum, free teacher training workshops, information, and assistance for schools and districts that want to do more to protect the environment.

Top 10  Ways to Reduce Waste While Back-To-School Shopping

  1. Purchase a reusable lunch box or bag instead of using disposable lunch sacks. It not only saves money over the long run but also significantly reduces waste going to landfills.
  2. Buy reusable containers for sandwiches and snacks, rather than individual bags. Using 2-3 bags per lunch adds up to a lot of unnecessary waste and expense!
  3. Buy a sturdy, comfortable backpack that your child can use year after year.
  4. Purchase recycled paper – then try to use both sides to reduce waste even further. Americans could save 85 million tons of paper annually by simply reusing and recycling.
  5. Use brown paper bags from your groceries as book covers for your child’s textbooks. Your children can design their own covers from these bags, most of which are made of recycled materials.
  6. When purchasing notebook binders, consider those with clear slipcover fronts that can be reused. Have your kids create their own cover and simply replace it from project to project.
  7. Reuse last year’s plastic art or pencil box by decorating it with fabric paint and creating an all-new look and design. No need to buy another one!
  8. Try to buy water-based paints and soy-based crayons, which are better for the environment than oil-based products.
  9. Purchase a reusable drink container for your drinks rather than continually buying individual drink boxes.
  10. Buy in bulk and avoid individually prepackaged items. It is significantly less expensive and can reduce what’s thrown away. About 1/3 of all garbage in landfills is packaging.

The above products can be purchased at local major retailers. Please check your local retail outlet to see if they carry recycled-content products. If not, ask your store manager about stocking them.