Sustain DCSD
September 2016
Join the DCSD Sustainability Steering Committee 16-17!
Join an amazing team of teachers in guiding DCSD’s strategic direction in sustainability
The Committee is charged with advising the Office of Sustainability on matters pertaining to district sustainability programming. The Steering Committee will meet monthly throughout the 16-17 school year.
Objectives:
1. Advance sustainable practices at schools and district buildings to make sustainability integral to the fabric of DCSD.
2. Develop and maintain a set of vision and goals for sustainability district-wide.
3. Facilitate the sharing of best practices across stakeholders.
Apply by October 7 by submitting the following information to sustainability@dcsdk12.org.
• Name
• Title
• School Name or District Department
• Why you would like to be member of the Committee (no more than 200 words)
• Description of your current role and work in sustainability (no more than 200 words)
Deadline Extended! 2016-2017 Sustainability Incentive Program
The deadline to complete the quick registration for the Sustainability Incentive Program has been extended to Sept. 30! This year will be all about ENERGY! We have two options for participation: Energy Action Incentive (Behavioral) and the Green PBL Fund (Funding for Operational Upgrades). You can even do both.
Find all the 16-17 Sustainability Incentive Program materials HERE: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B4YjBhKacSCgdjRmb0hnY0ZVUkU&usp=sharing
Register HERE by September 30: https://goo.gl/forms/HPrIyW33uMZQxNiL2
Parent/Community U: Basic Organic Gardening
Date: September 29, 2016
Location: Castle Rock Adventist Hospital, 2350 Meadows Blvd, Castle Rock
Time: 4:30-6:30pm
Teacher: Courtney Kuntz, Denver Urban Gardens Master Community Gardener and DCSD Sustainability Coordinator
Description: Gardening can be a challenge, especially if you are just getting started. With a little bit of knowledge and some time in the dirt, you can be ready for your own harvest next garden season. Your kids will love to help you and learn valuable skills in the process. In this interactive session, you will learn the beginning concepts of basic organic gardening and have some time to share with one another. Topics will include:
· How to get started
· Knowing what to plant and when
· Companion Planting
· Water Conservation
· Composting
· Preparing for next season
· Kids activities for the garden
Note: Weather permitting, we will spend some time in the Garden of Eatin’ – the community garden at CRAH – so dress comfortably. Children are welcome, just let me know what ages and I will try to bring some activities. Open to community members!
Register at www.dcsdk12.org/parent-university and contact Courtney Kuntz at Courtney.kuntz@dcsdk12.org for more information.
Thursday, Sep 29, 2016, 04:30 PM
Castle Rock Adventist Hospital, Meadows Boulevard, Castle Rock, CO, United States
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
Fox Creek Elementary Rocks Sustainability!
"BEE" the Change
1st Grade Reflection on The World Is Our Garden Expedition 15-16
All of Earth’s materials and living organisms are important. They all work together and have an important role in the growth and development of our human race. In our first grade learning expedition, “The World is Our Garden”, students worked through 3 case studies to explore the interconnectedness of all of these components with the ultimate goal of informing our community on what to do for sustainability.
Our guiding question was “How do plants and organisms interact to help our garden thrive?” In our first case study, students studied soil and its components along with compost. Students became experts on earthworms and how important they are to our garden, as well as composting.
In our second case study, students learned about plants, including their parts and functions along with their needs. With the help of a master gardener from Douglas County, students determined which cold weather and warm weather fruits and vegetables grow best in Colorado. During this process, we also noticed that our garden beds did not have enough dirt. We collaborated with our 3rd graders to get the right amount of dirt, who used their math skills to figure out how much we needed.
In our third case study, we studied various garden organisms to include native bees, butterflies, ladybugs and honeybees. Students became experts of these organisms and studied their job as pollinators including what we need to plant to bring them to our outdoor classroom. Each student built a bee house to help our most efficient pollinator, the native bee.
We wrap this learning expedition with a Celebration of Learning. Through our “BEE the change” presentation, students will inform our community on specific steps each member can take to improve gardens (compost), keep pollinators safe (organic weed killer), and help pollinators thrive (bee houses and specific flower seeds). Students have become passionate about planting and eating healthy food while also becoming the pollinator’s hero to help them survive.
Energy
As part of the Sustainability Incentive Program, FCE achieved a 31% reduction in energy last year! To reach such an incredible reduction, the Eco-Action Team came up with the idea of a flag to create a visual to the class coming back to their room. They then educated everyone on turning lights off when leaving the room and energy vampires, creating a competition among classrooms.
The team was responsible for maintaining the electricity sheets and tallying/recording data each week. Students were allowed time during their math class to record their data. This was a great way to motivate people through friendly competition while measuring results.
Waste
They teach students about compost and move the cafeteria scraps to the compost bin each day. Each week, they take their learning outside to the outdoor classroom to check and mix the compost while working in the outdoors. They also engaged in a service-learning project with 1st and 3rd graders to get the garden ready for spring!
Transportation
Through their plan, Reducing the Cars that are Left On While Waiting for Students, students equipped with official hats, vests, and clipboards collected data on puffer cars. The school also put up signs creating a "No Idle Zone", which helped to increase awareness and reduce idling!
In addition, about 50% of students participated in the BOWOW program, increasing their physical activity and reducing the cars on the road. Nice work!
Volunteer at Feeding the 5000 Front Range
On Friday, October 14th from 11am-4pm, Feeding the 5000 Front Range will be posting up in Denver's Skyline Park. Thousands of members (3000 is what we're aiming for!) of the public will be provided with a delicious free feast, sourced entirely from fresh top-quality produce that would have otherwise been wasted. This amazing event is only possible with lots of hands! We need volunteers to help us advertise, organize, prep, and serve the meal, as well educators and communicators to talk to the many feast-goers.
The event is free to enter and open to all. To volunteer for Feeding the 5000 Front Range or Disco Chop Denver, please sign up beforehand here.
Whole Kids Foundation Grant Now Open
Created in partnership with FoodCorps, the School Garden Grant program provides a $2,000 monetary grant to support an edible educational garden on the grounds of a K-12 school. Schools, or a non-profit organization working in partnership with a school, may apply.
- Application Open: September 1st, 2016
- Application Closed: October 31, 2016 at 5pm CST
- Review Period: Winter 2016
- Notification to All Applicants: February 15, 2017
This application is meant to be a blueprint for everything you need to start or maintain a successful garden program. As a result, we anticipate that it should take you anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of weeks to fully complete the process.
The application will be an online process but you can see a full copy of the application questions here!
Sustainability at Douglas County School District
Email: sustainability@dcsdk12.org
Website: www.dcsdk12.org/sustainability
Location: 2806 U.S. Hwy 85, Castle Rock, CO, United States
Phone: 720-663-1206
Facebook: facebook.com/sustainDCSDK12
Twitter: @sustainDCSD
LeeAnn Westfall
- Manage utility budget
- Manage energy performance contracting
- Manage fuel reduction (yellow & white fleet)
- Developing a district-wide sustainability management plan
- Oversee utility contracts
- Being generally awesome!
Courtney Kuntz
Courtney is a service-learning and green schools advocate. Call her for things such as:
- Rocking out school presentations on recycling, composting, energy, etc.
- Consulting for your sustainability project or course
- Red Apple Recycling, Crayola ColorCycle, TerraCycle
- Grants and fundraising opportunities
- Eco-schools USA, Incentive Program, Gardens
Max Krueger
We are thrilled to welcome Max Krueger as the newest member of our team! He is an enthusiastic sustainability champion with a talent for data and analysis.
Max could not be more excited to join the sustainability crew and the entire DCSD team. He will be working with all things energy looking to help reduce energy use across all facilities. Max studied Environmental Science with a minor in International Studies at DU while participating on the Club Water Polo Team. Originally from a town just north of Chicago, Max has been in Colorado for the past four years. He is passionate about outdoor activities, the Chicago Cubs, and traveling.
He will be responsible for:
- Utility Monitoring
- Resource Conservation
- Energy Efficiency
- Energy Procurement
- Regulatory Assistance
- Collaboration