b'aware of the towns newly passed bansthat dont need electrical plugs or bat-on plastic bags and they are eager notteries, choosing to walk or bike instead only to do their part, but to do more. of asking to be driven places in a car, AgroupoffifthgradersatSouthand turning lights off when they leave Mountain, who called themselves thea room.GreenTweens,advocatedlastyearWhen you start talking to them at fortheirschoolcafeteriatobanthethis age, it just becomes their life cul-spork, a single-use plastic utensil.ture; it becomes their norm, Watkin-Meanwhile,EmmyGoldman,ason says. firstgraderatMarshallElementaryMalia Rulon Herman is an environmen-School, has written a letter to her prin- tally-conscious parent who is in full sup-cipal, backed by a petition signed byport of any program in the schools that fellow students, asking for the cafeteriateacheschildrenhowtoberesponsible to get rid of single-use plastic straws.A valentine given out by a student atstewards of our earth.South Mountain Elementary, after the Theyseetheproblemsthatareschool\'s Eco Star program did a push for arising in the world from the rising use"Zero Waste Valentine\'s Day" in which of plastic and they want to be part ofthey offered ideas for how to give valen-Emmy Goldman, from Marshall Elemen- tines that also cut down on waste.tary School, wrote a letter to her schoolthe change, Damask says.principal about banning plastic straws inSerenaWatkinson,akindergartenout and do on their ownlike they her school cafeteria.teacheratSouthMountainandtheknow they can flip a paper over and Green Team Facebook page and comefirst teacher to join the Eco Star team,reuse it and they know they can bring to meetings.) sayselementaryschoolistheperfecta reusable container back and forthAnother goal, backed by district su- time to introduce environmental top- its amazing.perintendent Dr. Ronald Taylor, is forics like this.Other ways the Eco Star program each school to become certified withThey are like little sponges, Wat- has encouraged kids to make a differ-the nonprofit group Sustainable Jerseykinson says. When you give them aence include drinking from a cup in-for Schools. There are 241 schools inconceptthattheycanseeandfigurestead of using a single-use straw, bring-the state currently certified, accordinging an apple or carrots to school for tothegroupswebsite.Locally,onlysnackinsteadofchipsorsomething South Mountain is certified, althoughelse that comes in a wrapper, or simply other schools in the district have hadremembering to put the caps back onTuscan student Leo Sommer wrote a this designation in the past.letter to the Lego Company about their pens so that they will last longer. packaging. His mom, Julia Sommer, Being certified opens the door forTo conserve energy, Eco Star stu- teaches an after-school enrichment class grant funding for projects, says Dam- dents have been challenged to spendon environmental topics and talks to kids about changing not only their own ask, who has a fourth-grade son at Jef- time playing games or doing activitiesbehavior but other\'s too.fersonaswellasaneighth-graderat South Orange Middle School, adding that its clear that SOMA students are South Mountain School students illus-interested in these topics. Living in Ma- trated a way that they can help protect plewood and South Orange, many arethe Earth.SUSTAINABILITY ISNT JUST FOR SCHOOL.ITS FOR SUMMER TOO! The South Orange Country Day School Summer Camp will feature a theme of Our Environment in which students will focus on a specific aspect of the environment each week and learn about the human impact. Weekly topics include the sun, sky, wind, plant life and oceans. Meanwhile,childrenattendingclassesattheSouthOrange-Maplewood Adult School Childrens Summer Program will have several environmentally friendly classes to choose from, including Fun-Cycle: Recycled Crafts, in which they will learn about waste and use reclaimed items to make jewelry, masks and mosaics. In another class, called Upcycled: Wearable Art, students will learn about sustainable design and how to upcycle by creating new wearable art with materials such as reclaimed corks, uphol-stery samples, denim remnants and fabric from old T-shirts.South Mountain Elementarys Student Council poses with Green Team Parent Co-Chairs, Georgia Madiba (far left) and Jennie Aylward (far right), after acting in an Eco Star Assembly on Energy Conservation. Photo credit: Lee Seidenberg Photography30/ matters magazine / hearth & home 2020'