The Green Beanz

The Green Beanz is a group of 30 students in grades 3 - 5 who spearhead our Green School initiative.  At the beginning of each school year students apply for this  instructional seminar that meets once a week during their respective recesses.  The Green Beanz are responsible for  selecting the Student-driven Sustainability Practices Swansfield students and staff focus on each year.  They also organized the school-wide switch plate program where students in all grades design light switch plate covers to be used throughout the school. They also created and promoted the "Saw You Being Green, " Turn OFF the Lights program.  The Green Beanz designed signs and hung them by all of the bathroom sinks to remind students to conserve water. They also pick up litter around school grounds as needed to prevent trash from going down the storm drain into the Chesapeake Bay.  The Green Beanz are responsible for caring for the native species garden, our wetlands, and our new bioretention area. The Green Beanz empty all of the recycling bins in the school each week.  Finally, the Green Beanz are instrumental in creating and organizing the upcoming "Be Green; Get Green" yard sale on May 5th. Members of the community  will sell their belongings.  These items will be reused by another community member  instead of being thrown away, reducing the amount of solid waste in the landfill.  Proceeds from renting parking spaces to yard sale participants will be used to buy recycling bins for the 25% of SES staff that do not have them.These students work diligently to promote that "It's Great to be Green at SES!"