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Welcome to the Official 
Michigan Green Schools Foundation Website 
Not affiliated with Michigan Green

The students at Lansing Catholic High School show off their flag. Congratulations!

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CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OUR 2018 GREEN SCHOOLS FANTASTIC ACHIEVEMENTS
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See Contact page for a list of current county coordinators for 2018-19

Featured Endangered Animal | Kirtland's Warbler 
The endangered Kirtland's warbler is one of the rarest members of the wood warbler family. It nests in just a few counties in Michigan's northern Lower and Upper peninsulas, in Wisconsin and the province of Ontario and nowhere else on Earth! Because of its restricted home range and unique habitat requirements, the Kirtland's warbler probably has always been a rare bird. To learn more about the recovery plan and what you can do to help, visit the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) website and print the coloring sheet for a fun activity. The coloring pages are copyright free for particpating Michigan Green Schools.

Male Kirtland's Warbler. Photo Credit: Ron Austing

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   A Top Goal again this school year is reducing food waste.  For every pound of food waste composted six pounds of greenhouse gases are kept out of the atmosphere.  Schools can get a compost bin or compost units for classrooms and know they are making a great contribution to protecting our earth.  Learn more at smarterlunchrooms.org

Reminder All official green schools may use our copyrighted logo on your websites, newspaper and yearbooks. Schools may request the logo vector by emailing us.

December Energy Idea
Simple and effective. Make the first order of the day to make sure your classroom or office takes advantage of the natural heating and light from the morning sun. Tip for home get an inflatable chimney plug to avoid all that cold air coming in.  Also whenever you holiday bake leave the oven door open after you take out the food.
December Green Idea
 Detroit is the first major American city to switch to led lights which has cut their electric street lighting bill by more than half. Other Michigan cities including Traverse City, Grand Rapids and Saginaw have finished or begun the same.  Your school energy costs can fall dramatically. Great project for classes to see if their city or town is doing anything about it.  Send a student delegation to the next meeting and ask leaders to consider this.
Website Picks
New website we love is b4usa.   You can find almost anything here that is American made from their website list. Buying in USA is environmentally wise(especially transit distance) and means your items have to meet American safety and toxicity standards. 
New website you will like is 4Ocean.org  They are taking tons of plastic from our river outlets and oceans.
Tea Sets and Airplanes just to name a few of the American made, non toxic, recycled toys for Christmas.  Check out greentoys.com.  Also unique and American made is The White House official 2018 ornament.  Go to White Househistory.com  

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GREEN DID YOU KNOWS  Michigan has the lowest recycling rate in the Midwest.  It is only fifteen percent.
   It takes 450 years for plastics to decompose. Paper or plastic shopping bags?  Paper is the much better environmental choice.

 GREEN TIP Styrofoam cups, like all styrofoam, contain styrene, a known carcinogen.  Heat from beverages like coffee and tea release even more of the styrene.  Replace with paper, glass or metal for your and your guests health.
 New Activities for 2018
What do The Detroit Zoo and Disney World share?  They both took the No Plastic Straw Pledge. Now the Chicago White Sox have joined in. They cut 215,000 straws out of the plastic waste chain. Join The Michigan Green School Honor List and take the No Plastic Straw Pledge for another green point on your application. 500 million are straws are used daily. 
 
​A new recycling idea is recycling the huge amount of clothing that is thrown out each year.   Schools can simply collect and take to a Goodwill location or other options quarterly.

Did You Know Its starting to be called the new Dead Sea?
22 billion plastic bottles are thrown away annually. They could circle the earth four times.  Lake Erie has tested out for 1.7 million plastic particulates per square mile.  These particulates harm people and animals through the release of BPA,  a toxic chemical. Many marine animals also fatally swallow larger pieces of plastic.

​More ideas can be found on our activities page and are updated throughout the school year, so check back regularly. See the new suggestion on crayon recycling. 

Schools can now easily find EPA recommended cleaners and other maintenance items. They are EPA tested.  To learn more go to epa.gov/saferchoice.  The Safer Choice label is on the products that meet the EPA standards on toxicity. 

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The Mackinac Bridge connecting our two peninsulas and our Michigan Green Schools from Berrien Springs to Keeweenaw.

Learning about bees at Go Like the Wind Montessori School in Ann Arbor.

Allegan High School student tests water quality in a local river that feeds into Lake Michigan. Great Lakes protection is a top goal of Michigan Green Schools.

Kirtland's Warbler Coloring Sheet

3rd grader from Pentwater schools poses beside a Honey Locust Tree cutting on a field trip to the Halcyon Nature Center in Pentwater.

The Great Lakes are a Michigan treasure. You can help keep them safe and clean by responsibly discarding all old prescriptions and pills.

Kids getting ready to plant at Farley Hill Elementary in Pinckney.

Rapid City Elementary, Kalkaska Public Schools, show off their Michigan Green School reusable water bottles.

Preparing an area for a butterfly garden in Ann Arbor. Planting dill will bring in Yellow Swallow Tail butterflies.

This is the 2018-19 Michigan Green School emblem. This attaches to the official green flag. There are green and emerald versions as well.

A poster from Steele Elementary in Mason encouraging water conservation

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Updated December 18, 2018