Phrases like “sustainability” and “Eco-friendly” are all abuzz these 
days, particularly in the academic communities which are the lynchpins for their development. But unfortunately, at times, the value and importance of these words is lost in abstraction. Greenwashing, which has canvassed the entirety of our advertising and PR industries, has led many consumers to believe that these terms can be tossed around and fastened to any good or service that doesn’t directly puncture a hole in the ozone layer.
The truth is, sustainability and Eco-friendliness are much 
stronger concepts than the public discourse would indicate. And the best way to establish that in your classroom is by alerting your students to their relevance and imminence.
Start small – give your students a thought experiment. Tell them to envision their adult years with hotter summers, more expensive food and a draining water supply. It’s not concrete, but if you can tie it into a lesson plan to get the wheels turning then it might be a good idea.
If you’ve got younger students, hand each a bag to collect bottles and other recyclables. And try rewarding them for proving their earth friendly habits! At the end of a month-long period, reward students for the amount they’ve collected, and try to organize a way to celebrate their green achievements.
If you’re catering to an older audience, try bringing some environmental literature into the rubric. Books like Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac and Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring are some of the most famous pieces of nature writing, and they’re not too dense for general discussion. By integrating them into your classwork, students will get timeless, well-respected insight into the issues of conservation and preservation.
No matter how old your students are, you can always make a personal effort to set a green precedent by using Eco-friendly products and school supplies. Soy crayons, biodegradable pens and recycled notebooks are all readily available if you’re willing to go the extra mile and order them online or dig a little deeper at your local supply stores. They’re available in large quantities, too, if you want to treat your students to a little something around the holidays.
While all these suggestions are actionable for the immediate future, they’re not the only places to look in regards to green education. Keep up with the latest in the field of sustainability, and appropriate the successes according to your classroom model. With some extra attentiveness, you’ll be able to infuse greener mindset among students for years to come.
Guest Post written by Sandy Moore, who is a fellow blogger at Pennsylvania Energy
