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Norma Coombs Adds a fourth "R" to Learning Basics

The Norma Coombs Alternative School in Pasadena, California is full of
budding environmental activists. To begin with the students have expanded
the basic guidelines of environmental stewardship, REDUCE, RECYCLE,
REUSE to include RETHINK. The goal of the program is not to teach young
people what to think about the environment, but rather how to think about the
environment.

These students have sent post cards to the Prime Minister of Japan, and
President Bush explaining their concern about saving the whales.

RECYCLE ART is a program that asks the students to take a walk around their
homes, select articles suitable for recycling and turn the articles into a piece of
art.

Thank You Ralphs Super Markets. For Earth Day this year, the students decorated brown
paper grocery bags with environment messages and pictures. Then they returned the
decorated bags to Ralphs for use by their customers.

"Living Wise" is another program that is a partnership with the Pasadena Department
Water and Power. Third graders get special home evaluation kits which include items like
sensors to see if heating and cooling systems filters need changing.

Read all about it! Kid power for the environment. Grapevine is a wonderful resource tool
for teachers and educators from the Center for Environmental Education. This newsletter
has a collection of information about student environment activities across the United
States. It includes web pages, publications, a calendar of events, book reviews or
anything that students or their teachers want to know about the environment. For
example, "The Earth Angels" eco-protection club in St. Louis, MO. They have used
petitions to voice their concerns about endangered species, rain forest protection, and
global warming. "Kids FACE" in Nashville, TN. got help from the country music writers to
produce environmental public service announcements aired on radio stations across the
U.S.

Is your school involved in a special environment project? If so, send details to
Earthmanonline@earthlink.net and I will publish it right here on Kid File.