Kindergarten, first and second grade students at Walden Elementary School in Deerfield spent a week trying to earn little paper footprints to place on their lockers to show what they are doing to reduce their own carbon footprint.
Earning a big footprint was something they tried to avoid.
The footprint activity was one of several events implemented in a joint venture between the village and Deerfield Public Schools District 109 to raise awareness throughout the community about the environment during Earth Week between April 17 and 21.
Along with the activity for younger students, the rest of the district took part in different games and activities developed by the village’s Sustainability Commission.
“This is an opportunity to grow awareness in the classroom,” said Andrew Lichterman, Deerfield’s assistant village manager. “It raises awareness at a young age and then it is our hope they will discuss it at home.”
At Walden, the younger students spent a week learning how they can reduce their carbon footprint. There was a reward for their effort that grew each day. Little footprints were handed out to students for doing things like recycling glass jars or aluminum cans.
In second grade teacher Jennifer Castro’s classroom there was a discussion every morning on ways to practice conservation.
During the discussion, Castro told the children how much less energy is needed to make cans from recycled aluminum than starting from scratch. She emphasized the benefit of recycling over sending items to a landfill.
“If we didn’t recycle pretty soon we’d be living on our garbage,” Castro said. “Some items can be in a landfill for 700 years before then begin the process of decomposition.”
After Castro told her class half the trees that are cut down are used to make paper, she asked why trees are important. A student quickly raised her hand saying trees take in carbon dioxide and emit oxygen.
“You should try to use less paper,” Castro said.
The message was getting through to second graders like Olivia Shniderman.
“My mom and dad do care about our carbon footprint to reduce carbon dioxide and protect the earth,” Shniderman said.
Third through fifth graders at Walden as well as South Park, Kipling and Wilmot elementary schools along with all students at Caruso and Shepard middle schools are taking an energy survey on their laptop computers, according to Castro. The purpose is to take it home and share the experience with the adults in the house.
Don Anderson, the chair of Deerfield’s Sustainability Commission, said getting the village’s schoolchildren involved is the way to build awareness at a young age. He also likes the fact they are talking at home and educating their parents in the process.
“This joint effort will make Deerfield a batter place,” Anderson said. “It will help kids in our school system to understand what they can do. By taking it home it helps show how we can all do better and that is a win, win.”
Steve Sadin is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
