This is the year for your school to take climate action and make a conscious effort to reduce emissions by lowering your carbon footprint. Everyone must do their part to protect and preserve the environment. Educating students about eco-friendly practices presents an opportunity to teach them about global warming and how their choices impact the community at large.
With the proper knowledge, you can make significant changes with small actions toward your goals. There are several ways to reduce your educational institution’s carbon impact, all of which have the additional benefits of protecting the Earth and reducing operating expenses while inspiring students to change the world. Get started today with the tips below to create a better future for the generations to come.
1. Provide Recycling Bins for Students and Staff
Of course, recycling is a vital aspect of reducing your school’s carbon footprint, but educational institutions are responsible for ensuring that recycling bins are readily accessible for students and staff. Ensure that students and staff have recycling bins near every trash can to make recycling easy for everyone.
Don’t overlook the importance of accessibility when it comes to recycling bins. Visually impaired students may benefit from recycling bins with braille inscriptions, while those that are mobility impaired may require recycling bins at a lower height, so they can easily discard recyclable materials.
2. Use Sustainable Lighting Fixtures
Transitioning to sustainable forms of lighting is a relatively simple way to shrink your school’s carbon footprint. To get started, swap out fluorescent lights for eco-friendly LED light bulbs. Since LED light bulbs require less energy than other lighting options, you can expect to save big bucks by making this switch. Recent studies show that the transition to LED light bulbs on 200 campuses reduced CO2 emissions by an astonishing 33 million pounds while reducing energy consumption by 60%. Essentially, LED light bulbs will save your school energy and money while protecting the environment.
3. Recycle Outdated Electronic Devices
These days, schools can’t properly educate their students without the latest technology, but what will you do about the outdated equipment you currently have? The answer is electronic waste recycling, otherwise known as e-waste recycling. E-waste is one of the primary causes of pollution, but schools can do their part to prevent this by partnering with a certified e-waste recycling company.
Interactive whiteboards, laptops, tablets, phones, and other electronic devices are all considered e-waste once they reach their end of life. Educational institutions often have thousands of electronic devices, which means that recycling these devices is sure to shrink your carbon footprint significantly. Furthermore, the toxic chemicals within these devices will not leach into the environment if you correctly recycle them.
4. Plant a Student Garden
As climate change becomes a pressing matter for young people, educational institutions must give students the tools they need to combat climate change. School gardens can become the focal point of lesson plans that teach kids how to reduce their carbon footprint by educating students about skills that support a healthy environment. Hands-on activities are a great way to educate students about how consuming locally grown food can shrink their carbon footprint and how living organisms work together to create a functioning ecosystem.
5. Educate Students About Recycling
Teaching students about the importance of recycling can positively affect the entire community for years to come. Encouraging students to respect the environment and educating them about properly disposing of recyclable materials gives them the knowledge they will take with them well into adulthood. They may also pass the knowledge on to family and friends, creating a better environment for everyone.
Teach students about how to separate waste properly. They may realize that many of the items they usually throw away can be recycled. Consider incorporating material about recycling and an eco-friendly lifestyle to support your school’s carbon footprint goals.
Implement Your School Recycling Program with FAMCe
The benefits of recycling your school’s e-waste are too great to ignore. When schools take unified action towards reducing their carbon emissions, it benefits everyone involved.
If you’re ready to take care of e-waste at your institution, First America Metal Corp. (FAMCe) can help. FAMCe has over 30 years of experience assisting organizations with the secure destruction and recycling of their outdated electronics, providing data security solutions for various devices. Our high level of expertise and exceptional customer service have built our reputation as the leading company for your ITAD needs.
Want to recycle your old devices with confidence? Contact FAMCe today for e-waste disposal that’s ethical and secure.
