Griffin is always striving to be a more sustainable campus. Our school garden, butterfly gardens, and food forests help us meet the needs of our students, academically, emotionally, and nutritionally. Our learning gardens and outdoor classroom area earned the Emerald Award from Nature Scape Broward County. Our student-led recycling teams are the reason for Griffin's recycling success. Also, we have a Food Rescue program in the cafeteria, diverting hundreds of pounds of food from the trash and into homes where needed. Each year our school celebrates Earth Week with a week full of earth-friendly activities to bring awareness and understanding. 

Food and Waste

• Go Vegan or Plant-Based
  • https://tasty.co/article/rachelysanders/how-to-eat-vegan-for-a-week-and-love-it
• Use Your Organics as Fertilizer
  • https://www.fertilizer-machines.com/solution/fertilizer-technology/turn-food-waste-to-organic-fertilizer.html
• Make Your Household Zero Waste
  • Zero waste means sending nothing to the landfill — just reuse, recycle or compost. 
  • Sort your waste properly
• Stick to the Reusables
  • Only using reusable cups, mugs, or water bottles

• • https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/06/reduce-plastic-use-families-kids-environment-culture/
  • https://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/2018/09/looking-anew-at-plastics-and-climate-change/
  • https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2018/06/plastic-planet-waste-pollution-trash-crisis/
  • https://myplasticfreelife.com/plasticfreeguide/
  • http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/3/7/e1700782
• When Grocery Shopping, Choose Renewable Packaging
  • https://www.everythingbagsinc.com/blog/zero-waste-grocery-shopping-tips/
• Look for Fair Trade and other Sustainability Certifications 
  • https:/www.ecowatch.com/5-reasons-you-should-buy-fair-trade-1881803195.html
• Right-Size Your Groceries and Meals
  • https://www.nrdc.org/resources/wasted-how-america-losing-40-percent-its-food-farm-fork-landfill
  • Buy in bulk to reduce packaging waste
  • Don’t buy what you can’t eat

Water

• Reduce Showers to 5 Minutes or Less
  • https://www.watercalculator.org/posts/shower-bath/
• Only Run Full Loads of Laundry and Dishes
  • https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/articles/16-ways-save-money-laundry-room
• Wash Your Laundry in Cold Water
  • https://www.cleaninginstitute.org/industry-priorities/outreach/cold-water-saves
• Plant Drought-Resistant Species 
  • UF IFAS xeriscaping

Energy Reduction

• Reduce Household Power Consumption
  • https://www.saveonenergy.com/learning-center/energy-saving-tips/how-does-saving-energy-help-the-environment/
  • Turn off your lights in empty common areas 
  • Turn off/lower the brightness of your monitor 
  • Close all the windows and doors if the AC is on 
  • Plug everything you use into a power strip, and when you are done turn the power strip off
  • Line-dry your clothes 
  • Reduce vampire loads
• Only Walk, Bike or Skate for a Week
  • What if school buses could generate power?

Education

• Binge on Climate Change and Sustainability Films - Kid Friendly
  • Wall E
  • The Lorax
  • Happy Feet
  • Fern Gully: The Last Rainforest
• Binge on Climate Change and Sustainavility Films - Adults 
  • Chasing Coral
  • Before the Flood 
  • An Inconvenient Truth
  • Snowpiercer
• Learn About UC's Zero Waste Goal
  • https://www.ucop.edu/sustainability/policy-areas/waste-reduction-and-recycling/index.html

• Calculate Your Energy Use
  • https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/save-electricity-and-fuel/appliances-and-electronics/estimating-appliance-and-home
• Calculate Your Carbon Footprint
  • https://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx