How Do You Get Rid of ALL THAT TRASH?!!

Trash, garbage, waste - it's all just a big messy problem! It costs money to create it, use it and then dispose of it so WHY do we make so much of it? Part of it can't be helped I suppose. I still haven't found a way to buy yoghurt, sour cream, etc. without buying the plastic container it comes in. I try to buy my meat from a butcher that will put it directly into my own container from home or if I forget, butcher paper. I really make a concerted effort to choose products with minimal packaging and not use plastic bags but c'mon! How much can we avoid when we don't have a lot of choice? Here's the even bigger dilemma...how do you convince an entire school to change its habits and bring litterless lunches? Let us know what you have done, tried, given up on, had success with! I've been asked for help so here's OUR chance to help each other. Click on "Comments" below this blog entry and help your fellow colleagues by telling us what you do at your school.

International Walk to School Day Success!

It was a bit of an undertaking - fear of liability and losing students along the way, not wishing to walk in the rain, etc. but we did it! FINALLY after 3 years of trying to organize a safe "walk to school day" we managed to get 63% of our kids to walk to school. I had to corner some of the staff but thankfully they were willing and cheerful participants and helped to walk our kids safely to school today. It still needs a bit of tweaking but we seemed to have found a way to make it happen.
Because so many of our kids are bussed from Daycares we had to find a way to have them participate. The daycares involved were very supportive and one staff member even walked with us! They became the starting points of 3 different routes. For those kids that lived beyond those points we encouraged parents to walk or drive them to meet us and walk the rest of the way as part of our "walking school buses". The routes were designed to create catchment areas where many children that lived between the starting points and the school could join up with the 'bus" en route. We had the support of some of our parents too. A notice was put in the school newsletter and after no response our Parent Council sent out an email which managed to entice a few parents.

FRUSTRATION!

How can I encourage educators to check out our webpage?
What can we do to entice, seduce, bribe? teachers and administrators to vote on our weekly polls and send comments to our blog? Everything is anonymous so you are free to speak your mind and we welcome constructive criticism and helpful suggestions. Do you have any?