Gen. Y's Influence

Davis Drive Middle School Looks To Go Green

I was pleasantly surprised the other morning when I received an email from my youngest daughter's school – Davis Drive Middle School - asking if anyone would be interested in volunteering to join a newly formed "Green" team. I jumped at the opportunity for several reasons.

The Third Tier of Sustainability - Society

First, having spent several years in the sustainability sector, I will be able to use my background experience and knowledge base to give back to the community in which I operate. This is one of the major focal points of the social aspect of sustainability. I've been looking for an opportunity to get involved with the school system, and it seems like the red carpet has been rolled out for me.

Schools Are a Tremendous Generator of Waste

Next, when asked by interested clients where my services can be best applied I always respond wherever there is waste. Kind of general I know, but why isolate reducing environmental impacts to just manufacturing facilities. How about warehouses, hospitals, administration buildings and schools? Don't they all waste valuable resources? Schools use tremendous amounts of energy to provide comfortable conditions for the students and faculty. They also generate a tremendous amount of by-product that could be recycled if a formal recycling program was instituted. The list of opportunities goes on and on.

Educating Through Positive Behavior

Finally, by joining the Green team, I will have an avenue to help educate Generation Y. We all know our own actions are influenced by those of others. By contributing to a team that will focus on reducing energy consumption, investigating the use of renewable energy, minimizing the amount of solid waste diverted to landfills, and cutting the amount of water used, the students will hopefully become more aware of the choices their behaviors have on the environment. They will then become stewards of the environment, and will influence the behaviors of others in the years to come.

Bravo to Davis Drive for taking the initiative to investigate how they can lessen their impact on the environment while providing education and awareness to a generation of students that will lead us to greener pastures.