Move, Eat & LIVE Green!
March 17, 2011
Preamble:
The Physical Activity & Healthy Eating Committee under the DHAC (District Health Advisory
Committee) would like to invite you and your school to participate in “Move, Eat & LIVE Green!”
slated for Thursday, March 17, 2011. Below you will find a number of activity suggestions for
you to consider to celebrate the importance of being physically active on a daily basis, to eat
healthy foods and to become aware of our impact on the environment. You may wish to select
one or more of the activity ideas – please include your school community – take pictures to
document the event/s and link to various curriculum outcomes. As March 17 th is also St.
Patrick’s Day – the committee felt it would be an excellent link.
Physical Activity Ideas:
1) Green & White Day – have everyone dress in green and white. Award a prize for the
person/s wearing the most green. Organize a parade, having the students show off
their green and white apparel.
2) Go Green Shuffle – Organize a fun run or walk to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Encourage
participants to wear green.
3) Irish Jig – here is an easy dance to learn. The dancer hops on one foot, then kicks the
other foot out and across the hopping foot. The kicking foot is brought back and the
dancer hops on the other foot. The step is repeated. Play, “McNamara’s Band” for
music.
4) Pot of Gold – Similar to a penny hunt. Hide the coins around your school ground and
have the students find as many as possible – have them use the coins for chances to win
a specific prize. This could be organized as an orienteering event using maps/compasses
or even geo-cashing units.
5) Irish Potato Bounce – place five paper pie plates or Frisbees in a circle, numbering the
plates 1 to 5. Each person gets attempts to get a ping pong ball to land onto the plate.
Record scores, have a class, grade or school competition.
6) Blarney Stone Tag – scatter 4 or 5 “blarney stones” – green hoops over a playing area.
Identify 4-6 students to be leprechauns and instruct them to tag the others. Players can
avoid being caught by standing in a “blarney stone”. Only one person at a time is
allowed in the safety zone. Maximum stay – 5 seconds.
7) Shamrocks & Leprechauns – divide the participants into “shamrocks” and “leprechauns”.
Instruct the groups to line up 2 metres apart facing opposite ends of the playing area.
The leader then calls “shamrocks” or “leprechauns”. When “shamrocks” are called, the
“shamrocks” take off running to the end of the playing area. The “leprechauns” would
give chase. If tagged they would join the “leprechauns”. The process is repeated calling
out “shamrocks” or “leprechauns”.
8) Irish Stew – on sheets of paper, write the ingredients in an Irish Stew (one ingredient per
sheet) and place on the backs of participants. Include: carrots, tomatoes, potatoes,
beef, turnips, parsnips, onions, cabbage, rice, barley, water, salt, pepper, celery, etc.
The larger the group the more ingredients required. Armed with a pencil and paper the
remaining participants must determine the list of ingredients in the stew by locating a
person with an ingredient and writing down on their list. The “ingredients” are to avoid
letting anyone see what appears on their back.
9) Emerald Isles – using poly spots, place a number of them on the playing surface area.
Play music and have the participants march or move around the outside of the playing
area. When the music stops, players must find a spot (you decide how many may be on
a spot at the same time). Anyone not finding a spot would be required to perform a
funny movement and continue the game. Object is to see how long you can play before
having to perform a funny action.
10) Over the Rainbow – using Frisbees – play a game of modified volleyball.
11) Blarney Stone Jump – have a competition to see how far one can jump from a standing
position.
12) Potato Toss – Using various balls as “potatoes”. Throw the ball into a basket from
various distances. Create a point system to reward successful throws.
13) Snakes from Ireland – Arrange several skipping ropes in a line. Students must hop
between the ropes without stepping on or putting down their non-hopping foot. Vary
the distances between ropes depending on abilities and age.
14) Capture the Leprechaun – Using pictures of leprechauns, have the participants from a
designated throwing line, throw a hula hoop around the leprechaun cut out.
15) Irish Spuds – in a relay format, two people from each team place a beanbag (potato) on
their head. The partners link arms and on a signal walk to the other side of the playing
area and back without letting the “potato” drop. If a potato is dropped, it must be
replaced before continuing.
16) Irish Laundry – Two participants are given the task of holding the clothesline (or tie the
ends so that it is free standing). Each team is give a tea towel and two clothespins. The
first player on each team runs to the clothesline, pins the towel and runs back. The next
person runs to the clothesline unpins the towel, and returns, handing it off to the next
person in line. This continues in a relay format until everyone is back in their original
positions.
17) Leprechaun Curling – place one person on a scooter as the leprechaun. One group
member will push the leprechaun towards a target (coloured line or poly spot marker)
at a time. Each line or poly spot represents points. Once all students have had a chance
to be the leprechaun, the points are added up.
18) Leprechaun Tag – play a ‘fruit and vegetable tag game’ – the rules are simple, you must
call out the name of a fruit or vegetable before sitting down to prevent being tagged
and you cannot use any name that has already been called out.
19) St. Patty’s Bingo – give a bingo card to each participant. Place the questions around the
playing area – participants then move around to attempt to find the corresponding
question that would match the answer on the card. You may wish to place them into
pairs and allow discussion.
Questions:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
i)
j)
k)
l)
m)
n)
o)
p)
q)
r)
s)
t)
u)
v)
March comes in like a lamb and out like a …
St. Patrick’s Day
National emblem of Ireland
At the end of the rainbow is …
Small mischievous sprite
When Irish eyes are …
The colour
St. Patrick drove them by drums from Ireland
The Irish vegetable
Cajoling talk
Precious stone of Ireland
# of years celebrated
A high Roman official
Another name for Ireland
Saint Patrick was born in …
Latin word for Patrick
He made Patrick a Bishop in 432
A shamrock is like a …
The 3 leaves represent …
The church make Patrick a …
Saint Patrick brought ….to Ireland
March 17 marks a memory
w) Irish people go to church for 3 days
x) First St. Patrick’s Day celebration
y) On March 17 they rise from the sea
Smiling
Blarney
1600
Lion
Roman
Pope Celestine
Saint
Holy Time
Leprechaun
Pot of Gold
Shamrock
Snakes
Emerald
Eire
Christianity
Patricius
Green
March 17
Potato
Father, Son &
Holy Spirt
Fish
Three Leaf
Clover
Snakes
Death of St.
Patrick
Boston 1737
Healthy Eating Activities:
1) Green Eggs & Ham – serve mashed potatoes tinted with green food colouring, Irish stew
and lime sherbet and a kiwi for dessert.
2) Baked Potatoes – serve baked potatoes for lunch – have the students bring in their own
healthy toppings.
3) Create a Mini Cook Book – have your students research traditional recipes and create a
mini cook book for St. Patrick’s Day meal ideas.
4) Eat a Green Food Today – have students bring in a healthy green coloured food to eat
and share with the class.
5) School / Class Discussions – Discuss where foods come from and the distance they travel
before they get to your table.
6) Try growing a salsa garden in your house! - Follow the link to find out
how:
http://healthychild.org/index.php/blog/comments/how_to_grow_organic_food_i
ndoors/
7) Learning from the Grower – Contact a potato grower. Have students develop a list of
questions for the grower and write a class letter or invite the grower to visit your classroom.
8) Track how far your food has travelled - Collect the stickers from different vegetables and
fruit and using a map, track how far they have traveled to get to your supermarket.
Ask how do you think they traveled? By boat, truck, airplane or train?
Ask how many of your students have traveled as far as the apples.
8) Green Vegetable and Fruit Paper Mobiles (from www.enchantedlearning.com)These 3-dimensional vegetables and fruit are made from paper. You can make green
apples, broccoli, kiwi, romaine lettuce, peas, green beans, honeydew. They are great
to hang in a window (from a curtain rod), from the ceiling, or in a mobile.
Materials: White and green construction paper, glue (or a stapler), yarn or string, scissors,
crayons, paint or markers, wool or heavy thread.
Directions:
a) Fold a piece of construction paper in half. Cut 3 vegetable or fruit shapes from the
construction paper along the fold (each should be the same size).
b) Cut 2 slits in two shapes, at the top and bottom leaving about 1 cm uncut in the middle.
c) Cut 1 slit in the third shape from the top into the center.
d) Insert the slits, forming the vegetable or fruit. When you straighten out the pieces and
align them, they will form one 3-dimensional shape. Secure with small amount of tape.
e) Use the thread for a hanger or straws to create a mobile. You may wish to add orange
vegetables or fruit to reinforce the importance of including dark green and orange
vegetables and fruit as part of healthy eating.
9) Apple or Potato Stamps- You will need: Apples/potatoes, a knife, some paper, fabric,
cardboard or plain wrapping paper, green paint. Directions: Cut the apples horizontally or
vertically, dip in paint and scrape any excess and stamp away!
10) What am I? - Have students draw pictures of green food. Glue pictures on construction
paper and place a hole on each of the top 2 corners. Place string/yarn through the holes. Have
the teacher collect the pictures and then place a random picture on the student so that it hangs
from their back. Do not let the student see what food they are. Have each student take turns
standing with their back to the class so that the class can see the food picture. Have the student
ask “yes” or “no” questions (i.e. do I belong to one of the 4 food groups?) to the class to figure
out what food they are.
11) Create an Ad- In teams have students create an ad for a fresh, frozen or canned green
vegetable or fruit. The target audience can be classmates, another class or the entire school.
Students emphasize the nutritional value and benefits for health while also highlighting how
much fun it is to eat this food product. Have teams develop a slogan and create a poster that
could be displayed in the hall or cafeteria.
12) In-class gardening- Grow green beans, lettuce or green pepper. Each student can have his
or her own plant or have a few plants for the class.
13) The Earth as An Apple- This activity demonstrates how much of the Earth's land surface is
used for growing food. You will need an apple and a knife suitable for cutting. Using an apple to
represent the earth, ask for estimates of how much of the earth's surface is used for food
production. Cut the apple into four parts (quarters). Eliminate 3/4 to represent the oceans. The
remaining 1/4 represents all the land. Cut the one quarter into four parts (sixteenths). 1/16
represents the mountains. 1/16 represents the deserts. 1/16 represents the tundra, ice-caps and
other non arable portions of the earth's surface. The remaining 1/16 represents all the land
suitable for growing crops. Cut this in two parts (thirty seconds). 1/32 is land that could
produce, but is buried under cities, highways and other structures. The remaining 1/32
represents about 3% of the apple's (earth's) surface. Peel it. This thin, small piece of peel
represents the 6 inches of topsoil on which we depend to grow our food.
14) Create some Green recipes –
Cream of Broccoli :
 1 head of broccoli, medium size
 2 potatoes, diced
 2 celery sticks, diced
 1 onion, minced
 1 clove – garlic, finely minced
 5 cups (1.25L) – chicken broth
 To taste – chive, salt and pepper
 1 tsp – lemon juice
Instructions: in a saucepan, combine the ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and
simmer for about 45 minutes. Puree in blender. Return to saucepan and simmer before serving
Roasted Cabbage and Apples:
 1 head green cabbage, cored and cut into eight wedges
 3 gala apples, cored and cut into 16 wedges each
 ¼ teaspoon salt
 ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions: heat oven to 450 degrees F. Separate cabbage leaves and spread evenly on
sided sheet pan. Cover tightly with foil. Cook 20 minutes, or until tender. Remove foil and add
apple slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Gently mixing occationally, cook about 30 minutes
more, or until some of the cabbage has begun to brown and the apples are tender. Serves
approx: 8
Irish Soda Bread:
 3 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
 2 ½ cups flour (1/2 whole wheat / ½ white)
 2 tablespoons sugar
 1 teaspoon baking soda
 1 teaspoon baking powder
 ½ teaspoon salt
 1/3 cup raisins, if desired
 ¾ cup buttermilk
Instructions: heat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease cookie sheet. Cut butter into flour, sugar,
baking soda,, baking powder and salt in large bowl, using pastry blender or crisscrossing 2
knives, until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in raisins and just enough buttermilk so dough
leaves side of bowl. Turn dough into lightly floured surface. Knead 1 to 2 minutes or until
smooth. Shape into round loaf, about 6 ½ inches (16 cm) in diameter. Place on cookie sheet.
Cut an X shape about ½ inch (1 ½ cm) deep through loaf with floured knife. Bake 35 to 45
minutes or until golden brown. Brush with butter or margarine, softened, if desired. One loaf
makes approx: 14 slices.
Frosty Yogourt Shake:
Ingredients:
2 cups (500 ml) milk
1 cup (250 ml) vanilla frozen yogourt (2 scoops)
1 cup (250 ml) ice cubes
1 kiwi
1/3 cup (75 ml) frozen orange juice concentrate, undiluted
Combine all ingredients in blender. Mix until well blended. Makes 4 servings.
Bright Colours Cool Soup
Ingredients:
2 cups (500 ml) well-cooked vegetables, packed (see ideas below)
2 cups (500 ml) milk
1/2 cup (125 ml) plain yogourt
Seasoning of choice
Blend all ingredients together until smooth using hand blender, blender or food processor. Add pepper
to taste. Makes 4-6 servings.
Some Delicious Ideas



Broccoli, a handful of seedless grapes, fresh cilantro
Asparagus and leeks, with or without fresh tarragon.
Squash and carrots, a dollop of orange juice concentrate, a little ginger.
Pea and Buttermilk Soup
Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups (875 ml) small frozen peas, defrosted
1 3/4 cups (425 ml) chicken broth
2 tbsp (30 ml) green onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup (60 ml) chopped fresh mint leaves
2 1/2 cups (625 ml) buttermilk
A delicious chilled soup that's just as good hot. Be careful not to boil if re-heating.
In small covered saucepan, simmer peas in broth until very soft, about 10 minutes. Transfer to blender.
Add mint, onion and buttermilk. Purée until very smooth. Chill. Season to taste and enjoy. Makes 6
servings.
Rainy Day Spinach Dip
Ingredients:
1 can (19 oz / 540 mL) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup (250 mL) packed fresh baby spinach
1 cup (250 mL) shredded cheese
1/4 cup (50 mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 tsp (1 mL) pepper or hot pepper sauce
1/2 cup (50 mL) water (approx.)
Pepper to taste
Baby carrots or any other raw vegetables (celery, cauliflower, broccoli, peppers, etc.)
Variety of bread (mini-pita bread, nan bread, etc.)
1/4 tsp (1 mL) clove garlic (optional)
Use a food processor fitted with a metal blade to combine chickpeas, garlic (optional) and spinach. Pulse
until chickpeas and spinach are finely chopped, scraping the sides of the bowl, if necessary. Add cheese,
lemon juice and pepper and pulse until blended. Gradually add enough water to thin the dip to desired
consistency. Transfer to a serving bowl. Makes 8 servings.
15) Have students create a St. Patrick's day planter (see picture below). Students could plant a seed
(bean, sunflower, herbs) in their planter and then transfer it outside when the weather is warmer. The
rainbow could be coloured to represent the Canada's Food Guide rainbow.
16) Create a healthy plate. Provide each student with a paper plate. Ask students to draw a line across
the middle of the plate to divide the plate in half. Have students fill half of their plate with green vegetables
and/or fruit (drawings, magazine pictures, grocery store flyers). See how many different green vegetables
and fruit they can place on their plate. How many had peas? green beans? asparagus? broccoli, kiwi?,
honeydew melon?, spinach? What was the favorite vegetable or fruit?Create a graph showing the most
popular choices.
Have students divide the remaining half into quarters. Have students place a picture of a protein food in
one quarter (i.e. corned beef) and a starchy food in the other quarter (i.e. Irish soda bread or potato).
17) Have a "green" vegetable and fruit snack challenge. On March 17th ask students to bring as many
green coloured vegetables and fruits as possible in their lunch and snacks. Remind students of the
importance of green (and dark orange)vegetables for good health and that vegetables and fruit are also
environmentally "green" because they come in their own packaging! Challenge the class to see how
many different green vegetables and fruit they can eat as a class. Challenge another class to see how
many different green vegetables and fruit that class can eat.
RECIPES
March is Nutrition Month and this year's theme is "Celebrate food… from field to table!". One of the goals
of Nutrition Month is to encourage all family members to prepare meals and develop their healthy cooking
skills. The recipes below could be incorporated into the classroom to help develop students' interest and
confidence in preparing their own food and to develop their cooking skills.
Irish Fondue Casserole
a hot lunch program or
in the classroom where students actually make the casserole together, refrigerate overnight, cook
and serve it for lunch the following day.
Here is an Irish recipe idea from a "kids cooking" cookbook. It could be used for
Ingredients

12 slices firm whole wheat bread

1/4 cup (65 mL) unsalted butter or margarine, softened

3/4 teaspoon (3 mL) dry mustard

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

2 cups (500 mL) shredded Irish cheese (Kerrygold Blarney Castle or Swiss)

2 teaspoons (10 mL) chopped fresh chives

1 teaspoon (5 mL) Worcestershire sauce

Pepper to taste

4 eggs

2 cups (500 mL) 2% milk

1/2 cup (125 mL) low sodium chicken broth
Cooking Instructions
1. Cut the crusts off the bread slices.
2. In a small bowl, stir together the butter, mustard and garlic. Spread each slice of bread
with some of the butter.
3. Arrange 6 slices, butter side down, in a 9 by 13-inch baking dish.
4. In a medium bowl, combine the shredded cheese, chopped chives, Worcestershire sauce,
and pepper. Evenly sprinkle the cheese over the bread in the baking dish. Top with the
remaining bread, butter side up.
5. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs, milk and chicken broth. Pour over the bread. Cover
tightly and refrigerate overnight.
6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Uncover the fondue and bake it for 1 hour, or until the
top is lightly browned and the inside is fairly firm.
7. Remove the fondue from the oven. Let it rest for 10 minutes. Cut into 8 or 10 wedges.
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 60 minutes
Servings: 8-10
Whole-Wheat Irish Soda Bread
This recipe could also be made by the class and it provides a great science lesson by describing
how soda breads are leavened. Serve with Irish Fondue Casserole and a green salad for a healthy
Irish lunch.
Soda breads are hearty Irish staples - wholemeal flour with large flakes of bran and wheat germ,
or white flour or a mixture leavened with baking soda and moistened with buttermilk. The acid
in the buttermilk reacts with the baking soda, which is an alkali, creating bubbles of carbon
dioxide which rise the bread. Soda breads have the heft of a yeast bread but are made in minutes
and the dough can be shaped into scones or a round loaf, depending on the occasion. Originally it
would have been baked in a bastible (pot oven) over the open fire.
Ingredients

2 cups (500 mL) whole-wheat flour

2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1 teaspoon (5 mL) baking soda

1 teaspoon (5 mL) salt

2 1/4 cups (565 mL) buttermilk
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray and sprinkle with a little
flour.
2. Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Make a
well in the center and pour in buttermilk. Using one hand, stir in full circles (starting in
the center of the bowl working toward the outside of the bowl) until all the flour is
incorporated. The dough should be soft but not too wet and sticky. When it all comes
together, in a matter of seconds, turn it out onto a well-floured surface.
3. Pat and roll the dough gently with floury hands, just enough to tidy it up and give it a
round shape. Flip over and flatten slightly to about 2 inches. Transfer the loaf to the
prepared baking sheet. Mark with a deep cross using a serrated knife and prick each of
the four quadrants.
4. Bake the bread for 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 400° and continue to bake
until the loaf is brown on top and sounds hollow when tapped, 30 to 35 minutes more.
Transfer the loaf to a wire rack and let cool for about 30 minutes.
2-pound loaf (12 slices)
Prep. Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 1.5 hours (including cooling time)
Nutrition Month Tips and Trivia
Celebrate food… from field to table!
(Tips and trivia for students to read each day as part of announcements)
March 1st- Your body needs over 50 nutrients every day to be healthy. Remember to eat a VARIETY of
foods because no single food is perfect. To get all the nutrients you need, enjoy as many different foods
as possible from each of the four food groups in “Eating well with Canada's Food Guide.”
March 2nd- Grab a piece of fruit for a snack today. It is much healthier and cheaper than most packaged
snacks and comes in its own packaging so is better for our environment!
March 3rd- Nova Scotia, Quebec and New Brunswick produce the most blueberries. There are 2,826
blueberry farms in Canada. Blueberries contain anti-oxidants which help keep our bodies healthy. Enjoy
them on cereal, in pancakes, salads or muffins or just grab a handful for a healthy snack!
March 4th- The smallest province, PEI, produces most of Canada’s potatoes (24%). Manitoba, Alberta
and New Brunswick are not far behind. Consider having a baked potato day at school. On ________
(specify day) students are encouraged to bring their favourite toppings from home (broccoli, cheese,
salsa, etc.) and then at lunch time we will receive a hot potato. Add your toppings to your potato and
voila…. a healthy lunch!
March 14th- Eating breakfast every day can help improve concentration, reduce hunger and maintain a
healthy weight. Look for fast and easy choices such as whole grain breads and muffins, cereal with milk,
fruit and fruit juice, yogurt and yogurt shakes, cheese, eggs, or be creative with last night's leftovers.
March 15th - Canada’s dairy industry produces more than 665 varieties of cheese. Include a piece of
cheddar cheese in your lunch. Eat it at the end of your lunch and it will act like a toothbrush to help to
clean your teeth.
March 16th- Percent Daily Value (%DV) on food labels tells you if there is a little or a lot of a certain
nutrient in that food or beverage. Look at the labels in your lunch or snack today and see if you have less
than 5% DV for fat, sugar and salt.
March 17th- HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY!
See how many different green vegetables and fruit you can eat today. How about your classmates and
your family?
March 18th - Enjoy supper together tonight. Cooking and eating together as a family strengthens family
connections, passes on valued family traditions, teaches skills and improves the nutritional quality of the
meal.
March 21st - Saskatchewan followed by Alberta grows the most wheat in Canada. To help boost fiber
intake, make at least half of your grain products whole grain each day. Eat whole wheat or multi grain
bread, bagels, pasta and rolls. Try different grains such as couscous, bulgur or quinoa (pronounced keen
wah).
March 22nd - Did you know that many sports drinks contain about 9 teaspoons of sugar… about the
same as a can of pop? Unless you are exercising heavily for more than 60 minutes straight, water is all
you need to stay well hydrated. If you are exercising heavily for more than one hour consider making
your own sports drink by combining equal amounts of orange juice and water with just a pinch of salt.
March 23rd - Eat at least one dark green and one orange vegetable today. Try spinach in your salad
instead of leaf lettuce. Snack on some baby carrots.
March 24th - 25 million hens produce about 500 million dozen eggs per year – that’s 6 billion
eggs. Eggs contain high quality protein and can be part of a quick and healthy meal.
March 25th - Be a sodium detective! It is recommended that Canadians limit their salt intake to 1500 mg
per day. Read food labels and try to find products with less than 200 mg of sodium.
March 28th – Encourage your family to try a new, healthy recipe this week. Gradually substitute
healthier recipes for less healthy ones. Visit www.nutrition2011.ca for nutrition information and great
tasting, healthy recipes. Bon appétit!
March 29th- The Canadian Holstein (black and white) cow is one of the best producers of milk. Drink
skim, 1% or 2% milk each day. Make sure to have at least 500 mL (2 cups) of milk each day for adequate
vitamin D. Remember milk is less expensive when you buy it at school so enjoy it often for lunch and
snacks during the school day!
March 30th- Re-think your drink! Many of the beverages that we drink have a lot of added sugar and
therefore a lot calories. Pop, fruit drinks, energy drinks, Slushies and sports drinks all have a lot of sugar.
Read labels and remember to look for “sugar” as well as “ose” at the end of a word (i.e. glucose,
maltose, lactose, fructose, etc.) because these are types of sugar!
March 31st – Did you know that the fibre from food plays many important roles in keeping your body
healthy? Look at the Nutrition Facts panel on food and try to find ones that have 4 or more grams of
fibre per serving. Challenge your friends or your classmates to find crackers, cereal, cookies or granola
bars with the greatest amount of fibre
Environmental Activities:
1) Litterless Lunches – organize a litterless lunch for March 17. Have students/staff pack
their lunch for the day by using thermal lunch bags, reusable drink bottles, snacks in
minimal wrapping, reusable plastic containers and recycle and compost.
2) Green Team – Encourage students/staff to use active transportation to school. You
may want to assist students in calculating greenhouse gases saved, number of
kilometers walked, number of cars that did not drive that day or the number of
participants. The Green Team would include everyone who walked all or part of the
way to school and they can encourage participation by other students using posters,
announcements and flyers. Special green ribbons or wristbands can be made to identify
green team members. Go Green!
3) Classroom Lunch Audit – Perform a classroom trash audit and have students brainstorm
ideas on how they can reduce the amount of garbage that is disposed.
4) Implement a waste free lunch program – use insulated lunch bags, cloth bags or lunch
boxes; pack food in reusable containers; include a refillable drink or water bottle;
provide reusable utensils; provide a cloth napkin; involve students in the preparation of
lunch; recycle items as required; compost foods.
5) Reduce waste and be Green at home – have students sort the garbage at home, place
recyclables in appropriate boxes, discuss the one thing that they could do at home that
would reduce waste.
6) Home Challenges – Challenge students to: turn off lights, TV’s stereos, video games and
computers when they are not in use for a day/s or week. Avoid buying food or products
packaged in plastic or Styrofoam containers. Use public transportation, walk, bicycle or
carpool whenever possible. Don’t leave the water tap running and spend less time in
the shower. Purchase efficient light bulbs. Start a compost pile in the garden. Use
washable cups, dishes and silverware instead of disposable versions. Try to recycle as
much as possible – ie bottles, cans and newspapers.
7) Plan a Green Environment – plan a tree planting day with your class for the spring.
8) Green ideas for home: (Source: David Suzuki Foundation)
All Purpose Cleaner – works on multiple kitchen and bathroom surfaces, including shower
mildew and baked on microwave gunk.
Combine and put in spray bottle:
 1 T Borax
 ½ cup liquid castile soap (best choice: something fair trade & organic)
 ½ cup white vinegar
 1 gallon – hot tap water
 20 drops – essential oil (optional) (like lemon, lime, grapefruit, bergamot,
eucalyptus, lavender, tea tree)
Carpet Deodorizer –
 2 cups baking soda
 4-5 crumbled bay leaves
 ½ cup cornstarch
 1 T – ground cloves
Mix. Sprinkle on carpets. Let sit up to 24 hours and vacuum. Smells great! For stains, sprinkle
baking soda, rub in and let sit one hour. Scrub with stiff brush and vacuum out.
Automatic Dishwasher Soap –
 1 cup washing soda
 1 cup Borax
 White vinegar
Mix equal portions washing soda and Borax. To prevent build up, use only every 4th or 5th load,
otherwise you will end up with a white film on your dishes. Add white vinegar to the rinse
cycle.
Dishwashing Soap –
 2 cups soap flakes
 1 gallon tap water
 25 drops essential oil (optional) (ie lemon, lime, grapefruit)
Combine first two ingredients in a pot on the stove and bring to a boil. Simmer until the soap
flakes have dissolved, cool, then transfer to a squirt bottle. Add essential oil last.
Furniture Polish –
 1 cup olive oil
 ½ lemon juice
Place in squirt bottle and use cloth to polish
Toilet Bowl Cleaner –
 ½ cup baking soda or Borax
 ½ cup washing soda
 White vinegar
Mix washing soda with baking soda or Borax. Apply to surface. Scrub, then flush. Add splash of
white vinegar to deodorize.
Window/Glass Cleaner –
 1 litre water
 2 T white vinegar
Combine ingredients in a spray bottle. For best results, use newspaper to wipe off.
Five Simple Ways to Pack a Waste-Free Lunch
YES
NO
REUSABLE carrier (cloth bag, lunchbox)
NO throw-away bags
REUSABLE containers
NO plastic wrap, foil or styrofoam
THERMOS for drinks
NO single-use cartons or cans
CLOTH NAPKIN to wash and re-use
NO paper napkins
SILVERWARE to wash and re-use
NO plastic forks and spoons
Lunch Waste Facts
ALUMINUM FOIL
More than 20 million Hershey's kisses are wrapped with 133
square miles of foil every day
ALUMINUM AND TIN In the time it takes you to read this sentence, more than 50,000 12CANS
oz. aluminum cans were made
BANANA AND
ORANGE PEELS
Food debris in a landfill decompose only 25% in the first 15 years
(try composting or vermiculture!)
JUICE BOXES
Most inorganic trash retains its weight, volume, and form for at
least four decades
PAPER BAGS AND
NAPKINS
It is estimated that 17 trees are cut down for every ton of nonrecycled paper
PLASTIC BOTTLES,
FORKS, WRAP
U.S. citizens discard 2-1/2 million plastic bottles EVERY HOUR
STYROFOAM
U.S. citizens throw away 25 billion styrofoam cups EVERY
YEAR