As a Guyana native and preschool teacher at Stanford Arboretum Children’s Center, Carol Richards knows the importance of preserving our beautiful world for centuries to come.
She believes that the earlier we engage children about their relationship with the environment, the better. When Carol noticed an unused compost bin in her classroom, she developed a plan to engage the children about their carbon footprints and the three “R’s”: Reuse, Reduce, and Recycle.
Carol took her class on an adventure to pick up litter and repurpose it into creative collages. She also led a science project that compared the rate of melting ice cubes, representing the polar ice caps, in different climates.
Carol shares that children learn best when they are encouraged to engage their senses and interact with their surroundings. And when children have some say over what they learn, their curiosity grows. During recess one day, Carol was thrilled to support the children’s initiative to protect a flower they planted in the playground’s sandbox.
The children have developed quite the green thumb – working together to plant beans, mint, carrots, onions, and more using compost. That once empty compost bin has become an integral component of Carol’s classroom.
Shout-out to all the staff and teachers at Stanford’s child care centers for not only providing a great service to the community but inspiring the next generation to think sustainably and care for our environment.
Are you (waste) wiser than a preschooler? Test your knowledge.
Witness how fellow students, staff, and faculty are creating a wasteless community, and gain inspiration to implement waste-wise practices in your daily decisions.
Stanford has set a new benchmark for sustainability at live events through its first major concert hosted by Stanford Athletics and Stanford Live. Sustainable Stanford hosted a fireside chat with sustainability leadership from Live Nation and Warner Music Group in tandem with this milestone.
From reducing embodied carbon in construction to piloting organic landscape management, the annual Student Sustainability Symposium highlighted how student-led innovation is driving sustainability at Stanford.
Laura Segura Gonzalez, a second-year design student, is leading jean upcycling workshops to combat fast fashion waste, empowering students to transform old jeans into something new.
