skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

“Green School” Movement Gets a Foothold in New Mexico

play audio
Play

Monday, February 6, 2012   

TAOS, N.M. - Taos High School enlisted in the Green Ribbon Schools program for the 2011-2012 school year. The U.S. Department of Education introduced the program with the idea of producing more engaged, better educated students.

Gillian Cardillo teaches the high school's environmental leadership class. She says she's seeing improved public speaking skills, and maybe a little math progress, as the students work out a real-life problem.

"There's a leak in our school. They had to go out and measure how much it's leaking, and then they had to figure how much it was for a day, and a week, and a month and a year."

Cardillo sees more of a team attitude among the members of the class now than at the start of the semester. This is the first year of the environmental leadership class at Taos High.

Cardillo's class works on recycling and composting for the school. She says something interesting is beginning to happen: The students are taking their work home and into their community. An anti-plastic-water-bottle campaign they developed has expanded into a critical look at the corporate climate, she says.

"There have been a lot of anti-corporate sentiments, and these are from kids who are incredibly materialistic. We're seeing a turnaround, especially with Occupy Wall Street, where they're like, 'Wow, corporations really are doing the wrong thing and we need to stand up to them.'"

Fifteen other New Mexico schools are involved in a different green program, Eco-Schools USA. It originated in Denmark and was launched two years ago in the U.S. by the National Wildlife Federation. The Federation's science education specialist, Jennifer Hammonds, says some "green schools" are discovering benefits beyond the education.

"Energy projects, consumption projects and waste projects students participate in can provide tremendous savings for school districts."

More information is available online. The green ribbon school programs is at www.greenribbonschools.org. The National Wildlife Federation school recognition program is at http://bit.ly/4S6aTT. The study on math scores is at http://bit.ly/wmb52E.




get more stories like this via email

more stories
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

play sound

Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …

Social Issues

play sound

Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …


A 2022 report finds failing to speed up transmission beyond the current pace will increase 2030 U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions by 800 million tons per year. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

New York's Legislature is considering a bill to get clean-energy projects connected to the grid faster. It's called the RAPID Act, for "Renewable …

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …

Many factors affect a customer's bill amount, including energy usage, weather, and the number of days in a billing period, according to Arizona Public Service. (Jason Yoder/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021