Visit Us at the Fun Fair!

Stop by The Green Room at the Cottage Street School Fun Fair on Sunday, March 22 from 10-4 

Challenge: What can you recycle or compost and what goes in the trash?

We will have interactive game stations where you can explore, challenge yourself, and learn about ways to green our school! The Green Room was a big hit last year with children and adults alike!  

Come see how you can be a part of the Cottage Street School's Green Team!

See a timeline of the history of the Green Team. 

Thanksgiving Recycled Craft

Now that Halloween is passed and you have a bunch of errant wrappers, put them to good use with this festive Wrapper Turkey from Housing a Forest! You can also make this with scraps of used paper, or strips of paper from a magazine or newspaper if you want to forego the candy wrappers altogether. Enjoy! Paula

http://www.housingaforest.com/candy-wrapper-turkeys/

Fall Upcycled Craft

Green Teamer Hana made this easy-to-make hurricane lamp using a large glass jar, pressed leaves, découpage medium (Mod Podge here), and a candle!

Press leaves, spread découpage medium on underside.

Stick leaves to jar and then découpage  front of leaves.

Insert a candle and light with a long match (adults, only).

Enjoy the beautiful light passing through the fall colors!

Waste-Free Lunch Challenge!

 Join the Cottage Street School Challenge by packing a waste-free lunch 

What is a Waste-Free Lunch? 
A waste-free lunch includes foods in reusable containers such as stainless steel containers or BPA-free plastic containers, cloth wraps or pockets for sandwiches and other dry snacks, aluminum or stainless steel water bottle, reusable silverware and a cloth napkin all packed in a reusable, insulated lunch bag. They discourage the use of disposable packaging, prepackaged foods, plastic bags, juice boxes and pouches, paper napkins, and disposable utensils. When we make these simple changes, we, as individuals, can reduce the amount of trash we generate. 

Why Pack a Waste-Free Lunch? Did you know that a school-age child using a disposable lunch generates 67 pounds of waste per school year? That equates to 18,760 pounds of lunch waste for just one average-sized elementary school! (source: WasteFreeLunches.org) Packing a waste-free lunch is one easy way to reduce this waste. It will also help your family budget and help children eat a healthier lunch. READ MORE

Salsa from the Kindergarten Garden!

The Kindergarten Garden yielded some juicy tomatoes and herbs. The goal was to make a pizza garden. Thanks to Hana and all the volunteers who helped make it happen. We hope to work with a local farm to bring some fresh produce directly into our cafeteria this fall!

Try this recipe for a fresh snack idea...

Salsa Fresca

4-5 Garden tomatoes, diced
Fresh basil, torn up
Corn kernals (roasted are especially delicious)
Red kidney or black beans, about a cup
Fresh parsley or cilantro, cut
Healthy splash of lime juice or balsamic vinegar
2 T of olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced

Mix together and let sit for an hour or so to let the flavors meld. This makes a wonderful snack with some non-GMO corn chips. Another option is to melt cheese on chips and drizzle with salsa. Top with fresh guacamole. Enjoy! Paula

Green Team Action Items, 2014-2015

Here are a few things we hope to accomplish this year!
Check out our Volunteer section to get involved. It's Easy Being Green! - Paula

Sign Our Pledge!

Mr. Madden will be sending a copy of this home. Post this on your refrigerator and review it from time-to-time. We hope you join in and try your best!