Longfellow's Top Five (+1) Green Activities
As a Maryland Green School, Longfellow provides a comprehensive & integrated approach to authentic learning that uses the environment as a context for teaching and learning. Our Green Team represents a broad spectrum of our learning community involving school administrators, teachers, students, PTA members, facility personnel, and community partners. Our entire school community is proud of our Maryland Green School status and very excited about our "green" future! Our school’s application highlights only a small sample of the many wonderful activities and projects our students and staff have embarked upon during our Maryland Green School journey. The following list showcases the five (+1) accomplishments that our school is most proud of...
Longfellow's School-wide Renovation aspires for LEED Certification
The Longfellow Elementary School renovation and addition project is aspiring to become a LEED certified project. Through the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), this project will follow the USGBC 2009 Edition of "LEED for SCHOOLS" in order to obtain this certification. The four levels of certification through the USGBC are: Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. The underlying goals of becoming a certified "Green" building are to conserve energy and water, and provide healthier materials, which in turn help provide a better environment and help reduce negative impacts on the facility's occupants and the environment. In order to achieve this goal, the design team includes TerraLogos, a LEED consultant that will work closely with the rest of the design team to help develop and maintain the project goals. The LEED process of this project is to include an initial "LEED workshop" to determine the specific credits the design team will incorporate into the design. TerraLogos will conduct the workshop in conjunction with the rest of the team. Once the LEED goals have been established, TerraLogos will continue to review the individual systems within the project's design to help guide the team towards the appropriate goals. As the process continues, the "working" LEED scorecard will be provided to identify the potential credits the project is striving to achieve. The following are examples of equipment, materials, and procedures that will be incorporated by the design team to provide a sustainable, energy efficient and healthy environment:
In conjunction with striving to become a certified LEED building, the design team will be conducting an energy assessment of the existing facility and the proposed design. Gipe Associates, as part of the design team, will review the power usage of the building and provide suggestions for the design to improve energy and cost efficiency.
Thanks to Longfellow' administration, teachers, paraeducators, families, and students for your hard work participating in our design team as we work toward our goal of LEED Certification!
For additional information regarding our renovation please visit: http://www.hcpss.org/school-planning/construction/longfellow-es/
The Longfellow Elementary School renovation and addition project is aspiring to become a LEED certified project. Through the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), this project will follow the USGBC 2009 Edition of "LEED for SCHOOLS" in order to obtain this certification. The four levels of certification through the USGBC are: Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. The underlying goals of becoming a certified "Green" building are to conserve energy and water, and provide healthier materials, which in turn help provide a better environment and help reduce negative impacts on the facility's occupants and the environment. In order to achieve this goal, the design team includes TerraLogos, a LEED consultant that will work closely with the rest of the design team to help develop and maintain the project goals. The LEED process of this project is to include an initial "LEED workshop" to determine the specific credits the design team will incorporate into the design. TerraLogos will conduct the workshop in conjunction with the rest of the team. Once the LEED goals have been established, TerraLogos will continue to review the individual systems within the project's design to help guide the team towards the appropriate goals. As the process continues, the "working" LEED scorecard will be provided to identify the potential credits the project is striving to achieve. The following are examples of equipment, materials, and procedures that will be incorporated by the design team to provide a sustainable, energy efficient and healthy environment:
- Low Flow and Dual Flush Plumbing Fixtures: The use of low flow urinals which use half the water of a traditional urinal will be incorporated into the design where feasible.
- High Efficiency Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Equipment: The use of high efficiency HVAC roof top equipment will be utilized in the replacement of existing units. The possible use of energy recovery units will be investigated for use where applicable.
- CO2 Sensors: Carbon dioxide sensors will be utilized for high occupant density spaces to limit the quantity of outside air used when these spaces are not fully occupied. This would limit the amount of energy used to heat and cool these large spaces, like the gymnasium.
- Low Emitting Materials: Where possible, materials that are found to reduce the use of high Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) will be used to enhance indoor air quality and provide an environment free of odorous, irritating, and/or harmful indoor air contaminants.
- Lighting Controls: Sustainable lighting control design in a typical classroom includes low voltage switches and occupancy sensors.
- Recycled Materials: Where the use is appropriate, recycled materials will be specified and used for the construction of the building.
In conjunction with striving to become a certified LEED building, the design team will be conducting an energy assessment of the existing facility and the proposed design. Gipe Associates, as part of the design team, will review the power usage of the building and provide suggestions for the design to improve energy and cost efficiency.
Thanks to Longfellow' administration, teachers, paraeducators, families, and students for your hard work participating in our design team as we work toward our goal of LEED Certification!
For additional information regarding our renovation please visit: http://www.hcpss.org/school-planning/construction/longfellow-es/
LoES Annual LoES Green Week Celebration
2015: April 20th - April 24th
Listed below are just a few of this year's school-wide events scheduled for the week of April 20th.
2015: April 20th - April 24th
Listed below are just a few of this year's school-wide events scheduled for the week of April 20th.
- Green Day @ LoES (Mon. 4/20) - All students & staff are encouraged to wear green.
- Differentiated grade level lessons focusing on Longfellow's Four Best Management Practices (Tues. 4/21)
- PTA Cultural Arts Presentation: Prismatic Laser Light Show (Wed. 4/22)
- Our School’s Energy Conservation Assemblies and lessons (Thurs. 4/23)
- Spring Walk to School Day (Fri. 4/24 starting @ 8:25am)
- PTA Green Week Scavenger Hunt
- Staff Copy Free Friday (Fri. 4/24)
- School-wide Recycling Spotlight
- PTA volunteers will support cafeteria recycling efforts throughout the week
- e-waste and toner cartridge collection during Walk to School Day!
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Sculpture Recycled Garden
Thanks to the generosity of our PTA and the Howard County Arts Council, our 3rd graders have been worked with a professional visual artist throughout the month of November 2015 to create outdoor sculptures of recycled materials that interact with the weather, especially wind & rain. We reached out to our community to collect donations of objects to be used in the recycled sculpture construction that will hold up outdoors over the years to come. Some items collected were wire, copper or PVC piping, cement board, copper or brass items, treated lumber, hard plastic or rubber objects such as inner tubes or pond liner, chicken wire, bicycles, hub caps, silverware, beach glass, glass nuggets, bird cages, metal trivets, metal coat hangers, metal rods & racks, old keys and tile. Parent Volunteers and staff members assisted our visiting artist working with our 3rd graders to create the outdoor sculptures. Parents helped assemble the sculptures, assisted with materials, directly assisted students, and helped in many other ways. |
Longfellow's Walk To School Bi-annual Green Celebrations
As a neighborhood school our students are encouraged to walk or bike to school each and every day. Our school community celebrates our neighborhood school history and the opportunity to lessen our school's carbon footprint, by using responsible transportation methods such as walking, biking,or scooting to school each day. Each Fall and Spring, Longfellow collaborates with our PTA to celebrate Walk to School Day where even our bus riders get to walk to school for part of their morning journey. Our Longfellow students and entire learning community join in each and every celebration to spotlight our Green School initiatives, serve as a Community Recycling Collection Day for our TerraCycle upcycling program, celebrate our Annual Green Week Celebration during the week of Earth Day, provide fresh produce to families via our partnership with Friends and Farms, and highlight our green initiatives of the school year. Additionally, our Longfellow Street Team encourages and rewards our walkers, bike riders, and scooters throughout the school year for their green and safe, responsible, and respectful commute.
As a neighborhood school our students are encouraged to walk or bike to school each and every day. Our school community celebrates our neighborhood school history and the opportunity to lessen our school's carbon footprint, by using responsible transportation methods such as walking, biking,or scooting to school each day. Each Fall and Spring, Longfellow collaborates with our PTA to celebrate Walk to School Day where even our bus riders get to walk to school for part of their morning journey. Our Longfellow students and entire learning community join in each and every celebration to spotlight our Green School initiatives, serve as a Community Recycling Collection Day for our TerraCycle upcycling program, celebrate our Annual Green Week Celebration during the week of Earth Day, provide fresh produce to families via our partnership with Friends and Farms, and highlight our green initiatives of the school year. Additionally, our Longfellow Street Team encourages and rewards our walkers, bike riders, and scooters throughout the school year for their green and safe, responsible, and respectful commute.
School-Wide Recycling Efforts
Over the past few years we have focused our efforts on increasing our recycling efforts though various methods. We have partnered with TerraCycle to upcycle pens, mechanical pencils, markers, highlighters, glue sticks, e-waste, toner cartridges, and drink pouches. Teams of fourth and fifth graders collect paper recyclables semi-weekly from bins located in each homeroom class and throughout our school. Our fifth graders began a plasticware recycling program in our cafeteria in March, 2013. Our pre-K through fifth grade students now recycle used milk cartons and plasticware each and every day thanks to this new green initiative. Our staff collects plastics, paper, and aluminum cans daily.
This year we are focusing on institutionalizing recycling at Longfellow for years to come by equipping our school with the necessary resources to collect these recyclables and "upcycle-able" materials. Ms. Basille has taken the lead in reaching out to community partners to donate recycling bins and totes to our school. We have partnered with our local Howard County DPW to receive 12 large Recycling Bins to collect recycling in common areas. We partnered with Home Depot for 56 classroom recycling bins to account for all classrooms and offices throughout our school. Finally, we partnered with Clark's ACE Hardware for a recycling tote for our Recycling Team to collect paper from each classroom and office throughout the school. Next, we plan on purchasing a three stream recycling bin to place in our foyer.
Over the past few years we have focused our efforts on increasing our recycling efforts though various methods. We have partnered with TerraCycle to upcycle pens, mechanical pencils, markers, highlighters, glue sticks, e-waste, toner cartridges, and drink pouches. Teams of fourth and fifth graders collect paper recyclables semi-weekly from bins located in each homeroom class and throughout our school. Our fifth graders began a plasticware recycling program in our cafeteria in March, 2013. Our pre-K through fifth grade students now recycle used milk cartons and plasticware each and every day thanks to this new green initiative. Our staff collects plastics, paper, and aluminum cans daily.
This year we are focusing on institutionalizing recycling at Longfellow for years to come by equipping our school with the necessary resources to collect these recyclables and "upcycle-able" materials. Ms. Basille has taken the lead in reaching out to community partners to donate recycling bins and totes to our school. We have partnered with our local Howard County DPW to receive 12 large Recycling Bins to collect recycling in common areas. We partnered with Home Depot for 56 classroom recycling bins to account for all classrooms and offices throughout our school. Finally, we partnered with Clark's ACE Hardware for a recycling tote for our Recycling Team to collect paper from each classroom and office throughout the school. Next, we plan on purchasing a three stream recycling bin to place in our foyer.
Our Schools / grennNEWit Energy Savings Partnership
greeNEWit’s OUR Schools program has provides Longfellow STEM-enriched environmental programming and presentations since the 2014-2015 school year. As a part of the program,
we have created an Energy Savings Partnership, which gives our Longfellow families and community members the opportunity to conserve energy and save money at home while earning money for our school that we use to fund our Green School initiatives. Our staff and LoES families participate in the no additional cost Quick Home Energy Check-up (QHEC) program. For each family that completes a QHEC, greeNEWit gives $20 back Longfellow. This partnership extends our green school programing throughout our Longfellow community and teaches our students to go green throughout their entire day. Our annual kick-off assembly focusing on STEM Environmental occurred on January 15, 2016 this school year.
Please feel free to schedule a Quick Home Energy Check-up by completing a brief online application at www.greenewit.com/community/our-schools/energy-savingspartnership.html. Just be sure to specify Longfellow when scheduling or speaking to a greeNEWit representative!
During our kick-off assembly and follow-up lessons energy experts from greeNEWit deliver a dynamic and educational assembly that teaches students about how each of our interactions with the environment greatly affects the way we live, and how STEM plays an essential role in the path toward sustainability. Through visual display, live music, acrobatics, skits, and demonstrations we strive to for reducing consumption and saving resources.
Topics covered this year were:
Fossil Fuels
Environmental Sustainability
Water Conservation
Renewable Energy Technologies
greeNEWit’s OUR Schools program has provides Longfellow STEM-enriched environmental programming and presentations since the 2014-2015 school year. As a part of the program,
we have created an Energy Savings Partnership, which gives our Longfellow families and community members the opportunity to conserve energy and save money at home while earning money for our school that we use to fund our Green School initiatives. Our staff and LoES families participate in the no additional cost Quick Home Energy Check-up (QHEC) program. For each family that completes a QHEC, greeNEWit gives $20 back Longfellow. This partnership extends our green school programing throughout our Longfellow community and teaches our students to go green throughout their entire day. Our annual kick-off assembly focusing on STEM Environmental occurred on January 15, 2016 this school year.
Please feel free to schedule a Quick Home Energy Check-up by completing a brief online application at www.greenewit.com/community/our-schools/energy-savingspartnership.html. Just be sure to specify Longfellow when scheduling or speaking to a greeNEWit representative!
During our kick-off assembly and follow-up lessons energy experts from greeNEWit deliver a dynamic and educational assembly that teaches students about how each of our interactions with the environment greatly affects the way we live, and how STEM plays an essential role in the path toward sustainability. Through visual display, live music, acrobatics, skits, and demonstrations we strive to for reducing consumption and saving resources.
Topics covered this year were:
Fossil Fuels
Environmental Sustainability
Water Conservation
Renewable Energy Technologies