Going green: When it comes to the environment, Catholic school students are doing their part

From praying for the Earth to helping people in other countries, Catholic school students have used different methods to show their growing interest in caring for the world. At St. Barnabas School in Indianapolis, from left, Morgan Barrett, Shelby Hurrle and Sophia Milto are among the sixth-grade students who have put their reading about the environment into practice. (Photo by John Shaughnessy)

By John Shaughnessy

Catholic schools’ growing concern for the environment can be seen in many ways, including the heartwarming approach of a custodian at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School in Richmond.

Heike Chapman collects aluminum cans from that school community then uses the money she gets from recycling the cans to help an animal shelter in that eastern Indiana city.

The concern is also there in the prayer that students, teachers and staff members say every school day at St. Barnabas School in Indianapolis, a prayer that ends with this plea:

“May we care for ourselves, share what we have, and use wisely our Earth’s resources. We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.”

It’s also there in the words of Sarah Watson as she colorfully describes the “re-use” campaign that she has started this year as the principal of St. Gabriel School in Indianapolis.

“Basically, we’re re-using trash all over the school,” Watson says with a laugh. “We use butter containers and ice cream containers for projects in our art classes. We have a lot of trash that we’re able to turn into something else. It’s actually quite exciting.”

They’re all signs of the increased commitment that Catholic schools across the archdiocese have made this academic year to help students, parents and staff members become more aware about what they can do to care for the Earth and its resources.

“This is one of the great challenges facing our Church and the world, and we want teachers to understand and learn different ways to help make our students more environmentally aware,” says Kathy Mears, an associate director of schools for the archdiocese. “As Catholics, we want to make sure that we are leading the way in modeling how to be good stewards of the Earth.”

Caring for the environment is a natural goal for Catholic schools, according to Cindy Johnson, the principal of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School in Richmond.

“It fits our mission as Catholic schools,” Johnson says. “We’re here to learn about God, to care about each other and to take care of the world.”

Changing the world and our attitudes

With Earth Day being celebrated on April 22, even more attention will be drawn to the efforts in Catholic schools to protect the environment—efforts that are sometimes ambitious and international in scope.

One of the “go green” projects at St. Barnabas School in Indianapolis involves making a difference in the environment of the South American country of Bolivia, where the third leading cause of death is indoor air pollution.

“One of our parents spent some time in Bolivia last year working with villagers,” says Debbie Perkins, the school’s principal. “In Third World countries, a lot of people make fires in their homes. That causes a lot of indoor air pollution, and their health suffers as well as polluting the environment.

“Solar cookers would be a solution. People can cook their food outside in these solar cookers. One of our school service projects was for each class to raise enough funds to provide one solar cooker. They cost $50. It’s a way for our students to see how they can help people from around the world and help the environment.”

St. Barnabas students also create “go green” public service announcements that are shown on classroom TVs at the school every Friday. The announcements have focused on such topics as recycling batteries, shortening showers and having people turn off the water when they brush their teeth.

“I recycle paper and bottles and plastic,” says Austin Shepherd, a sixth-grade student at St. Barnabas. “I think it’s fun, and it’s helping the environment.”

“Our goal is to create awareness for the kids,” Perkins says. “Before they pick up an extra piece of paper or they do something wasteful, they’ll think about it. It’s pretty hard for me to throw away trash these days. Do I need to re-use something? Can I use two sides of a paper instead of one? What it really takes is for all of us to change our habits a little bit.”

Creating a respect for the Earth

Changes can be accomplished in simple ways, like one choice that was made at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School in Richmond.

“Last year, we had paper milk cartons,” says Johnson, the school’s principal. “This year, we’re using plastic cartons and we’re recycling them.”

One student at St. Elizabeth started a program at the school that collects and recycles old cell phones. The phones are sent to a center that re-conditions them then gives them to U.S. military men and women serving their country around the world.

Second-grade students at Holy Family School in New Albany have led the effort this year to make their school more environmentally friendly.

“They did a study on how long it takes many objects to disintegrate in a landfill,” says Jerry Ernstberger, the principal of Holy Family School. “A banana peel was three to four weeks, a paper bag one month, a tin can 80 to 100 years and an aluminum can 200 to 500 years.

“We’re trying to teach the kids to respect the Earth and all it provides, how much we use and throw away, and how much we take for granted. All those messages are important to send to the kids and the community at large.”

The efforts at St. Gabriel School in Indianapolis stress that common-sense approach to conserving energy and resources. Computers are turned off at the end of the day. Lights are switched off when a classroom is empty.

“Our student council is working on doing a compost [pile] for some of the trash from lunch—the fruits and vegetables that can be composted,” says Watson, St. Gabriel’s principal. “To me, the best thing is the students are initiating the need to protect the environment.”

St. Gabriel School will have a “Go Green Week” in May with daily conservation activities planned by the student council. One afternoon, the lights will be turned out in the classrooms to conserve electricity. Another day, the school community will work outside, planting flowers, starting the compost pile and weeding and mulching a trail. At lunch, students will be encouraged to bring their food in re-usable containers to lessen the amount of trash.

“It’s not going to affect the whole world, but it’s something we can do,” says Elizabeth Bain, an eighth-grade student who is the student council president at St. Gabriel School. “God’s creation is a gift to all of us. We just don’t throw away gifts. We take care of gifts, especially when they’re from someone as important as God.”

Students are being taught that caring perspective across the archdiocese.

“I can’t think of any school not doing something like this,” says Perkins, the principal at St. Barnabas. “The kids are very aware of how their actions are impacting the Earth. They also know they have the power to change things.”†