SUSTAIN DCSD
Celebrating Successes & Looking Towards a Sustainable Summer
Congratulations Eco-Award Recipients!
We are happy to announce the following students and teachers as recipients of a DCSD Office of Sustainability Eco-Award! Congratulations to each of these individuals and thank you for making a difference!
~ DCSD Office of Sustainability
Mountain Vista Freight Farm
Preparing gourmet meals is starting to be a normal everyday thing for some. One faithful customer from Mountain Vista Freight Farms has shared what her parents are doing with the fresh produce purchased at the farm:
"My parents are in their eighties and preparing gourmet meals is their new daily entertainment. This is a picture of my parent’s delicious salad they sent me last week from Windsor. I delivered lettuce to them 3 weeks ago and they’re still regrowing the heads they have. You can see their tabletop “lettuce garden” in the background of the picture. They love having access to the lettuce farm. The lettuce and herbs from the farm have been a bright spot for them." - Jennifer-
This is just one way that our community is growing from the "stay at home order". We are being forced to think out of our box with actually staying in our "box".
Renaissance Expedition Learn Outward Bound School
Remote learning is going great for the crew at Renaissance, besides of missing one another, they are keeping sustainability alive through remote learning. Students are starting several gardens, exploring hydroponics, providing service, upcycling materials, and exploring do-at-home sustainability projects. They also are doing fieldwork and service virtually with Luvin Arms animal sanctuary. Students have taken virtual compassion tours and have been reading to chickens.
Like most of us, the at-home experience has helped students grow mentally through these challenging days with positive environmental education.
Northridge Elementary
Larkspur Elementary
The Green Team of Larkspur invited all of their families to join them in an Earth Week Challenge! Earth Day was April 22, and they prepared 5 activities for their school to enjoy. It was a great way to celebrate nature and appreciate the unique place we live in while we are observing stay-at-home.
Douglas County Community Sustains!
- Edible Container Gardens
- Composting in small spaces
- Gardening and seed starting
- Pallet Gardening
- Upcycling
- Outdoor Yoga
- Recycling
- Creating Bee and Butterfly Habitats
- Wicking systems for Gardens
Thank you to all who have shared with us the ways that you are taking care of yourselves and the environment.
THANK YOU DOUGLAS COUNTY CONSERVATION DISTRICT!!!
We would love to give DCCD a big shout out for helping with our mini-grants this year through their generous matching program. These dollars helped bring more projects to life for our students.
Projects DCCD supported include:
- Bird habitats at Arrowwood Elementary and Acres Green Elementary
- Aquaponics at DC Oaks High School
- Compost bins at Douglas County High School
- Sustainable gardens at Highlands Ranch High School
Congratulations to these and all of our mini-grant recipients! Thank you for including sustainability in your classrooms.
How DCCD can help YOU!
Conservation is important even in our own backyards! There are many ways to conserve in a suburban or urban environment. Tumbler composting, rainwater harvesting, vegetable gardens, pollinator habitats, backyard chickens, and more are possible in small plots of land. DCCD is here to help all landowners conserve!
If you are looking into getting out into nature this spring/summer, DCCD has a great restoration project at Plum Creek that you and your kids can get involved with.
To get more information on workshops, camps and restoration projects, contact the DCCD District Manager:
Heather Kelly
303-218-2622
Ask this one question to yourselves. What is your best childhood memory? My guess is that you picked something that revolves around being outside. It is our time to build that relationship with nature again! GET OUTSIDE and enjoy your summer.
Looking for new places to go? Check out the Douglas County Open Space Trails Map
Colorado State University Extension's NEW Grow & Give Modern Victory Gardens
Check out the CSU Grow & Give Modern Victory Garden Project where you can register your garden and learn how to give excess produce to provide nutrition to Coloradans in need.
Grow & Give Modern Victory Garden intro video
Grow & Give Modern Victory Garden information & resources
CSU Extension offers a variety of Spring Gardening Webinars which are FREE to the public. Click here for more info.
Denver Urban Gardens To-Grow Boxes
Summer is approaching quickly and there are so many great ways to be eco-friendly while on break. While this summer will likely look different than summers of past we hope you enjoy outdoor time, working on projects, gardening, volunteering, exercise, camping and hiking. Before you know it we will be back into the swing of things. Hopefully, kiddos will go back to school, parents to the office, and the "norm" will be at our doorstep. This may be the time where we need to re-think about what kind of "norm" are we wanting in our life.
DIY Rain Barrel
Make your own rain barrel to help water your garden. Click on the picture for more info.
DIY Spouts
Sprouts are the perfect addition to any summer salad or sandwich. Click the picture to find out how you can grow your sprouts.
DIY Bird Feeder
Make a cool long-lasting bird feeder out of upcycled material. Click on the picture for more info.
NASA Climate Kids Grades 3-8
NASA brings you remote learning ready virtual lessons on weather, atmosphere, climate change, energy, water and living organisms.
Live Tracker - Marine Animals Grades K-12
NOAA Data in the Classroom Grades 6-12
These online learning modules allow students to practice what they learn with primary data collected by NOAA. Modules include: Coral Bleaching, El Nino, Sea Level, Ocean Acidification & Water Quality
Thank you for those of you that have a bin at your school. Our district has saved close to 123 thousand pounds of textiles from the landfill since we started using the bins.
Silver Lining ~ By Unknown Author~
Many people are concerned about students falling behind because of the quarantine..........
But what if…….
What if instead of “falling behind”, this group of kids is ADVANCED because of this? Hear me out.
What if they have more empathy, they enjoy family connection, they can be more creative and entertain themselves, they love to read, they love to express themselves in writing.
What if they enjoy the simple things, like their own backyard and sitting near a window in the quiet.
What if they notice the birds and the dates the different flowers emerge, and the calming renewal of a gentle rainshower?
What if this generation are the ones to learn to cook, organize their space, do their laundry, and keep a well-run home?
What if they learn to stretch a dollar and live with less?
What if they learn to plan shopping trips and meals at home?
What if they learn the value of eating together as a family and finding the good to share in the small delights of the everyday?
What if they are the ones to place great value on our teachers and educational professionals, librarians, public servants and the previously invisible essential support workers like truck drivers, grocers, cashiers, custodians, logistics and health care workers and their supporting staff, just to name a few of the millions taking care of us right now while we are sheltered in place.
What if among these children, a great leader emerges who had the benefit of a slower pace and simpler life to truly learn what really matters in this life?
What if they are AHEAD?”
DCSD OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY
Sustainability Coordinator
Heather Berry
Sustainability Learning Specialist
Email: sustainability@dcsdk12.org
Website: https://www.dcsdk12.org/cms/One.aspx?portalId=220484&pageId=5755442
Location: 2806 U.S. 85, Castle Rock, CO, USA
Phone: 303-387-0451
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sustain.dcsd