[Photo] A freshman Environmental Charter High School student competing in a basket-bottle recycling competition.
At Environmental Charter High School, all 10th graders take the required Green Ambassadors class which explores sustainability issues and solutions and empowers students to share these solutions with their community. ECHS students who have a special interest in sustainability and community engagement may choose to participate in the Green Ambassadors (GA) Internship, an afterschool program which furthers their skill building and green stewardship through professional development, engagement with community partners and the exploration of green jobs. GA Interns become advocates for the environment by working directly with their community to find solutions to green issues.
This year, the Green Ambassadors took on a number of wonderful community collaborations that challenged them to think outside of the box and share their messages with a wider audience. GA Interns joined forces with the South Bay Cities Council of Governments to promote the statewide initiative, Energy Upgrade California. Our students were tasked with being the energy awareness ambassadors where they live, learn and play to build awareness about the importance of energy and encourage community members to consider energy management steps. GA interns presented on campus and to a variety of organizations and companies and were present at community events to promote energy conservation and consumer awareness. Click here to read more about their activities.
[Photo] Green Ambassadors students presenting at the South Bay Cities Council of Governments.
The GA interns also helped a local business, Dogeared, consider how they could improve their green business practices. Although Dogeared is already a certified B-Corp business, interns served as “junior consultants” to evaluate four key areas of sustainability to find opportunities for growth: energy, waste, water and community culture. The interns then made recommendations about how Dogeared could improve their environmental impact. After spending a day at Dogeared, the interns returned a month later with their results. To read what they discovered and recommended, click here.
[Photo] GA students performing a Dogeared audit
As part of an ECS-wide initiative to reduce its campus waste, the GA interns also launched a waste reduction campaign which included new recycling bins for all campuses. The high school interns implemented this program at their own campus, and visited their middle school counterparts at ECMS-Gardena and ECMS-Inglewood to support their waste reduction campaigns. Additionally, students collaborated with Otis College to design a recycling bin called “Basket Bottle” that promotes recycling through gamification. They also designed an interactive wood chipper that breaks down the school's paper lunch trays to be composted.
[Photos] Recyling bins being used.
ECS Green Ambassadors are leading the charge and helping their community and local business partners understand that going green can be done!
