| Here are several ideas for Green Service Projects: | | | | 12. Reduce Garbage Toxicity. Research and |
| 1. Energy Audit. Use of electricity and gas is a large | | | | understand which items are dangerous in household |
| driver of greenhouse gas and cost. There are many | | | | and institutional/industrial waste streams. Produce |
| good energy audit forms available on the internet. | | | | guides, hold informative sessions, and provide means |
| Download some, modify for your needs and audit | | | | for people to separate and collect these toxic items |
| the school and other large businesses. Make specific | | | | instead of discarding in their garbage. |
| recommendations to reduce usage with sensors, | | | | 13. Cell Phone and Battery Collection. A subset of the |
| timers, ballst, light bulbs, insulation and other methods. | | | | tip above, cell phones can be collected and |
| Consider volunteering to do audits for older folks in | | | | repurposed to crisis shelters and other uses with no |
| your community and try to get funds from the | | | | impact to the original owner. Batteries can be |
| community or sponsors to help them reduce their | | | | collected and returned to a center that can recycle |
| energy usage. | | | | the components. |
| 2. Compost. Large portions of landfill garbage can be | | | | 14. Make A Wild Space. Take a portion of the school |
| composted. Start one at home and then work with | | | | or other grassy area that is currently mowed and |
| institutional and restaurant kitchens to develop | | | | treated, and make a wildflower or other planted |
| compost processes and recipients. Consider selling | | | | space that requires less water, chemicals and care, |
| compost to gardeners. Measure the amount of | | | | and is beneficial to local or migratory animals. Add a |
| compost generated in a week and extrapolate to | | | | bench and walkway and you have created a garden |
| show the annual impact per house or per school | | | | sanctuary! A local garden center may donate or |
| institution. | | | | sponsor the park in exchange for some signage or |
| 3. Plastic Bottle Recycling. Many millions of soda | | | | other consideration or recognition. |
| bottles are landfilled each year. Many schools still sell | | | | 15. Produce Some Produce. Build a community garden, |
| drinks in plastic bottles. Consider building or obtaining | | | | perhaps at a nursing home or community building. |
| plastics-only recycling containers and contacting your | | | | Involve others and set up a community structure |
| community recycling center to arrange for pickup. | | | | that will care for the garden when your project is |
| Don't forget the concession stands and other | | | | completed. Participate in the care and harvest of the |
| outdoor areas. Measure and communicate the | | | | bounty. Consider donating some of the produce to |
| amount of bottles saved and show some items | | | | the food bank or shelters, where fresh food is rare |
| made from the bottles. | | | | and always appreciated. Consider planting and |
| 4. Compact Flourescent Drive. Work with a local | | | | maintaining an orchard where peaches, apples, pears |
| hardware or department store to offer special sales | | | | and other fruits will grow for years to come. Large |
| on compact flourescent bulbs and sell them as a | | | | cans (see #5) and buckets can be used to grow |
| fund-raiser. The recipients get a deal on the bulbs and | | | | plants in urban settings. |
| support a good cause, and they will save energy for | | | | 16. Create or Maintain a Hiking Trail. If you have |
| them. Make some conservative calculations of the | | | | green space nearby, consider trying to develop a |
| dollar and electricity savings from each kit sold, and | | | | public trail. Landowners may be willing to support this |
| show it as a graph or thermometer. | | | | action if there is also financial and/or support from |
| 5. Metals recycling in the kitchen. Many cafeterias use | | | | the local government. You may have to do more |
| large cans for food. Put a bin to collect rinsed cans | | | | political and financial organizing than actual hoe and |
| and either recycle them or use them for planting in | | | | shovel work up front, but the resulting peaceful trail |
| other projects. The metal has good recycle value. | | | | will be a great testimony to your dedication and |
| 6. Plant Trees. You can either sprout your own | | | | effort. |
| seedlings or contact a nursery to see if they can | | | | 17. Plastic-Free Dining. Take a survey of the garbage |
| obtain and donate them. Contact landowners for | | | | created in your school cafeteria. Try to find ways to |
| permission to replant, and calculate and show the | | | | reduce the environmental impact (carbon cost, |
| carbon offset you will generate in the next 1,10,20 | | | | weight, decomposability, etc.) See if you can |
| years from your planted trees. Get lots of others to | | | | transform plastic items to paper or metal that can be |
| participate in an event, perhaps on Earth Day or | | | | either reused or renewed without fossil fuels. Work |
| Arbor Day. | | | | with the procurement group to obtain the new items |
| 7. Urban Recovery. If there are areas in your town | | | | at lower cost, and determine if the total "life cycle |
| or city that are abandoned and unused, do some | | | | cost" of dishes and silverware is lower than plastic. |
| research to find the owners and determine if it can | | | | 18. Mileage Audits. Develop an audit tool to help |
| either be cleaned up, torn down or made into a park | | | | people maximize their auto mileage. From tire |
| or green space. Do some community organizing and | | | | pressure to weight reduction and driving habit |
| make a large project to create a playground or other | | | | changes, you can make a good guide for people to |
| space that the community will appreciate. | | | | use. Set up an event, perhaps in concert with a car |
| 8. School Carpool Club. Many teens drive to school. | | | | show or car wash, to perform mileage audits for |
| Try to organize them into groups so that they can | | | | people, pump their tires and give them a guide to |
| share rides with each other and save some gas and | | | | keep in their car. Do a before/after road test on a |
| emissions. Do the math on the average car, miles to | | | | few cars to gather some hard data. |
| school, mileage and the monthly pocket impact to | | | | 19. Solar Rooftop. Obtain funding and/or supplies to |
| each student that drives if they carpool 1 day/week. | | | | install a pilot solar cell on a rooftop. Connect it to a |
| 9. Computer Recycling Drive. Make contact with a | | | | unique object inside the school such as a moving |
| firm that recycles old computer equipment, research | | | | sculpture, fountain or light display, or light a hallway. |
| that their disposition is environmentally secure and | | | | Calculate the cost of operation vs the energy cost |
| protects the old user's data, and organize a drive to | | | | saved and make a recommendation to the school for |
| collect old machines. You may also be able to cobble | | | | larger scale implementation. |
| together a few machines that you can reformat and | | | | 20. Green Careers Research. Do some jobs research |
| load Linux and free, open-source programs to donate | | | | on the top 20-30 careers that impact Green. Develop |
| to neighborhood clubs, churches, homeless shelters | | | | a list of degrees and skills which would be needed for |
| and similar areas. | | | | these jobs, along with projections of the growth and |
| 10. Environmental Awareness Education. Put together | | | | the economic and geographic locations of the jobs. |
| a slide show and some fun experiments for | | | | Work with the guidance conselor to publish this and |
| elementary-age kids and do a road show in your | | | | make available to students as they make decisions |
| school district. Keep the ideas clear and get the kids | | | | about careers. Consider building a slide show or video |
| excited about what they can do to save the earth. | | | | composite of interesting jobs in Renewable Energy |
| 11. Green Rooftop. A flat roof covered with plants | | | | and other areas. |
| will lower heating and cooling losses and will better | | | | Hopefully this has given you some ideas on good |
| use rainwater. Research "Green Roof" and construct | | | | service projects that will have a positive impact on |
| and maintain one at a school, nursing home or other | | | | our environment. Have fun and stay green! |
| similar operation. | | | | |