Back to School GreenConsidering that in the U.S. we throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour and 86% of those are not recycled; going back to school offers a clean slate for a fresh start. Try "I will pack my own lunch and avoid disposable packaging" or "This will be the year I walk to school every time". Would you like to join kids around the globe to walk to school? 60,000 gallons of gasoline would be saved each day if just 6 percent of those who drive less than a mile would walk instead. Improve your health while you help the planet!Horticultural Vinegar To reduce the presence of poison ivy, many schools use horticultural vinegar. Horticultural vinegar is an organic product that you can order on-line and notification of its application is not required. Anyway some schools like the Verona BOE provided a notification . If you see a BOE employee using a spray dispenser on either weeds or poison ivy, please know that this is the horticultural vinegar being applied and not a chemical based weed killer. The Material Safety Data Sheet is posted on the Buildings and Grounds page of the district website. The VEC also recommended to use this product at Verona Pool. Common chemical pesticides contain glyphosate and are acutely toxic to humans. Glyphosate has been linked to Cancer, Autism, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. It was described as "extremely persistent" by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Well done Verona! ![]() Go Styrofoam Free! We annually dump almost two million tons of petroleum-based food packaging! Foam plates, cups and trays are made from expanded polystyrene foam (also known as Styrofoam), which never decomposes. Polystyrene is not accepted for recycling in Verona. Please reduce the amount of polystyrene waste that you generate. Verona Public Schools' Cafeterias stopped using polystyrene foam dishes years ago. "The Verona School District will be using a recycled fiber-board product for school lunches in 2012-2013." said Verona Superintendent of Schools Mr. Forte. "This is a big move away from plastics and I agree it is an important move for the environment" he added. The VEC congratulates the BOE for this green initiative, and the HBW student Lucas Konrad-Parisi who presented the petition. In short, Styro has got to go! A healthy lunch with minimal waste: How green your lunch is depends on how much waste it produces.
Bottled FactsWatch the video "The Story of Bottled Water"Video released on March 2010 (more than 500,000 people already watched it!) And drink Verona tap water with confidence, more than 1,000 tests prove the safety of our municipal water. Why is bottled water waste a concern?
Bottled water vs. tap water
Hydration at its best, tap water has less than 1% of the environmental impact of bottled water. Get a reusable Eco-friendly bottle and refill it! Now that is something we can all drink to! What about paper?Back to school is a good time to evaluate priorities for school-related consumption and habits.
PVC-Free School SuppliesHealthy schools free from toxins are critical to a child’s health and well-being. Congress just recently banned phthalates in children’s toys, yet they are widespread in other PVC products. Many children’s school supplies, such as lunchboxes, food wrap, backpacks and binders, are often made out of PVC. PVC is unique among plastics because it contains dangerous chemical additives such as phthalates, lead, cadmium, and/or organotins. Children are at risk from even small exposures to these toxic chemicals. That’s why it’s important to purchase PVC free school supplies.PVC products are often labeled with the words “vinyl” on the packaging, such as vinyl 3-ring binders. To identify PVC packaging, first look for the universal recycling symbol. If it has the number “3” inside it, or the letters “V” or “PVC” underneath it, you know the product is made out of PVC. Just remember – bad news comes in #3’s, don’t buy PVC. To be safe, choose non-plastic products whenever possible. For more information please read this PVC-Free Guide. |
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