Project Planet Earth - Reuse, Reduce, Recycle!

Your donation to the Green Initiatives Wishlist item will support Bell School's Green Committee.  The Green Committee's purpose is to increase environmental awareness among the school community and educate students to live responsibly and protect our planet.  There is no Planet B!

In prior years the Green Committee has helped Bell School become the environmentally-conscious space that it is for our students and staff.  Improvements have included:

- Launching a pilot program for recycling milk cartons

- Converting the lunchroom from Styrofoam trays to reusable trays

- Replacing pre-packaged napkin and utensil sets in the cafeteria with individual utensils so students may take only needed items

- Establishing an area in the cafeteria where students can place items from their lunches that have not been opened or eaten such as apples or oranges to reduce waste

- Winning grants to build a teaching veggie garden

- Launching the Waste Ambassadors program in which students aid each other in sorting discarded items among recyclables, compostable items, and trash.

Studies show students thrive from uneven, sensory engaging natural play spaces. I propose that this fund be used to convert the spaces around the black top with natural, wooden stumps, climbing structures and wood shelters for creative, imaginative play. Students have commented for the past 10 years how depressing the south lot is. 5 years ago, Ms. Pearlmutter helped bring in Nature play space builders who now work for the Chicago Park District to install a cargo box, boat and stripped tree climbing structures. Prior Bell Parent helped build the two Nature play spaces at Welles and Horner Parks and has offered to join our efforts to bring more of these very popular nature play spaces to Bell's periphery to help our students connect with nature in creative and imaginative ways.

Your donation will support students and Green Committee members in the 2023-24 school year as they continue to make Bell School a greener, more environmentally-conscious environment.  Thank you!