Bright Green Future grants bring sustainability education to Austin schools
A grove of peach and fig trees at the corner of Zilker Elementary School hasn’t borne fruit in a long time.
Garret Nick, chairman of the Parent Teacher Association’s sustainability committee, hopes that will change with the help of city of Austin grants that Zilker Elementary and about 25 other Austin district schools received.
Standing Thursday in front of the school on Bluebonnet Lane, Nick pointed to the rainwater catchment system at Zilker Elementary that he hopes to fix with the grant. The catchment will irrigate the trees, a process in which Nick said he hopes to get students involved.
“The goal is for them to see the process happening and how it works and see something sustainably,” Nick said. “Not all water comes out of the faucet.”
Zilker Elementary is one of 34 Austin-area schools that received a city grant through the Bright Green Future program, which aims to boost sustainability education by funding programs that give students hands-on experience.
The program is among the Austin district’s efforts to become more sustainable and to prepare students to partake of green living initiatives.
At Zilker Elementary, the two Bright Green Future grants it received will pay to fix a broken solar panel, build a data tool to teach students about renewable energy, repair the rainwater collection system and create informational signs about the project.
Each grant award is up to $3,000 and will help fund school projects, which range from gardens and composting programs to solar panels and apiaries.
Zilker Elementary has a garden that the students work in and that serves as a hub for students to learn about agriculture and natural sciences, Nick said.
Garden programs and other sustainability projects that have a direct effect on their campus help students understand how they can make greener choices, said Darien Clary, district director of sustainability.
“It gives students a sense of agency,” Clary said. “It can be really overwhelming, even for adults, to know what we can do. For kiddos, it’s having these programs that make them feel they can engage on a tangible level.”
Turning off the lights or turning off the faucet are small green-living steps, but they help students learn about broader environmental issues, she said.
“It also teaches them they can do something small, and overall it can make a really big difference,” Clary said.
Sustainability programs align with the district’s broader sustainability goals, which include having a carbon neutral bus fleet by 2035 and reducing energy use through facility upgrades that will be funded through the recently approved $2.4 billion bond referendum, she said.
It’s important that students learn early about what they can do for the environment, said Mary K. Priddy, city of Austin education and outreach coordinator for the sustainability office.
Priddy started and has overseen the Bright Green Future program for 11 years.
When students grow up and get jobs, they will have to become stewards of the environment, she said.
“We, as the city, have set these incredibly aggressive climate goals,” Priddy said. “We’re going to be net zero by 2040. We have to give people the tools to do that.”
Children need to learn about where their food comes from and what it means to live in a world with nature, she said.
“Kids are growing their own food that they’re taking into the schools, that they’re using to prepare their meals,” Priddy said. “Food actually grows on trees or comes out of the earth.”
Most schools usually finish their projects by the end of the school year or early summer, Priddy said.
Bright Green Future grant recipients
Govalle Elementary School — outdoor classroom
Cunningham Elementary School — outdoor classroom
Boone Elementary School — outdoor classroom
Rodriguez Elementary School — outdoor classroom, bicycle club
Linder Elementary School — outdoor classroom
Overton Elementary School — outdoor classroom, bicycle club
Houston Elementary School — outdoor classroom, bicycle club
Allison Elementary School — bicycle club
Harris Elementary School — bicycle club
Hart Elementary School — bicycle club
Langford Elementary School — bicycle club
Oak Springs Elementary School — bicycle club
Ortega Elementary School — bicycle club
Palm Elementary School — bicycle club
Perez Elementary School — bicycle club
Reilly Elementary School — bicycle club
Ridgetop Elementary School — bicycle club, wildlife garden
Sanchez Elementary School — bicycle club
St. Elmo Elementary School — bicycle club, recycling and composting program
Zilker Elementary School — rain garden, solar array
Pond Springs Elementary School — rain garden, planting and caring for trees program
O'Henry Middle School — rain garden
Harmony School of Excellence — rain garden
Clayton Elementary School — vegetable garden
Patton Elementary School — vegetable garden
University of Texas Elementary School — vegetable garden
Winn Montessori School — vegetable garden
Wholesome Generation — vegetable garden
Austin Independent School District Food Service — vegetable garden
Boone Elementary School — wildlife garden
Tigerlily Preschool — wildlife garden
McNeil High School — wildlife garden
Austin Achieve — apiary
Garza High School — tree planting and caring program
T.A. Brown Elementary School — tree planting and caring program
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Grant projects teach Austin students sustainability, green living