Join Pine-Richland's 6-School Sustainability Club for Earth Day
The Pine-Richland 6-School Sustainability Club is putting its commitment to action this Earth Day. Students in grades 2-12 are partnering with Pine Township to support its Earth Day Event on Saturday, April 26, from 11:30 am to 4:00 pm, demonstrating their dedication to environmental stewardship through hands-on involvement.
Pine-Richland students will facilitate community engagement opportunities, including a community engagement booth with activities for all ages and a recycled/upcycled art and fashion show.
“We have been meeting with Pine Township representatives all year to plan for this second annual event and are expanding the activities we offered last year, also aligning them to the new designation of Pine Township as a Bird Town Community,” said Dr. Kristen Justus, assistant superintendent of elementary education and curriculum. “We are excited to engage in this experience with the community again and appreciate the partnership we have developed with the Township to grow our collaborative sustainability efforts.”
The nearly 50 students who participate in the Sustainability Club are looking forward to the event because it closely aligns with the committee's strategic goal of reducing our environmental footprint by educating other students about small ways they can help the earth and provide a more sustainable future.
Recycled/Upcycled Art & Fashion Show
Pine Community Center Lobby | 11:30 am – 4:00 pm
Have you ever created a work of art using recycled materials and upcycling them into something new? The Recycled Art Show is the perfect venue to display your work! Dabbling artists of all ages are encouraged to bring a piece of work for display for the duration of the Earth Day event. To participate, bring your artwork to Pine Community Center’s lobby for display during the event. Pine-Richland students have their own art on display year-round in this location; however, the art featured for this event will relate to sustainability and the environment.
Student-Run Booth
Outside Pine Community Center | 11:30 am – 4:00 pm
The student booth will include interactive games such as upcycled skee ball, student presentations on the work of the club to date, and giveaways connected to each building’s sustainability work. The community can make pressed flower bookmarks and upcycled bird feeders and read a variety of children’s books related to sustainability. Student leaders will be present and ready to read books to younger community members.
In addition to Pine-Richland student-led activities, the Earth Day event will have vendors from across the area with activities, presentations, demonstrations, and food trucks for dining. The Pine Township website has additional details about vendors and schedules.
About the Club
Pine-Richland’s 6-School Sustainability Club includes nearly 50 student leaders from all school buildings spanning grades 2 through 12. Students work as teams within their building to promote recycling and other sustainability initiatives. The club comes together 5-6 times a year to discuss their progress and share new ideas, and then also attends quarterly Sustainability Leadership Council Meetings with district and community members to present their work and engage in the strategic actions of the district.
“There is no better source of inspiration and future-focused discussion than one of our 6-School Sustainability Leadership Club meetings,” said Dr. Justus. “When our club first started we had a handful of representatives at each building, amounting to about 12 student leaders owning the initiatives in each location and working to drive change and promote a culture of sustainability. Today, that number has grown to nearly 50 leaders with additional engagement opportunities through each building’s club structure.”
The club uses the US Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools Framework and pillars as guides. Over the initial years of the club, the focus has been on Pillar 1: Reduced Environmental Impact and Costs, namely through recycling initiatives, reduction in electricity and water consumption and alternative transportation, including the introduction of EV buses. Most recently, the efforts included all 3 pillars and led to the submission of an application for the district to be considered a U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon District.
“The submission of the application and use of the Green Ribbon Schools Framework helped us to audit our work and action against the best practices ascribed to a sustainable school district,” said Dr. Justus. “We have set new goals for the sustainability club’s work based on what we learned through that beneficial process. As a part of our continuous improvement culture at Pine-Richland, we will be leveraging this learning to deepen our commitment and expand our work.”
Join our 6-School Sustainability Club at Pine Community Center for vendors, activities, food, giveaways, workshops, recycling opportunities, and more on Saturday, April 26, from 11:30 am – 4:00 pm. Learn more at https://twp.pine.pa.us/484/Earth-Day-Event or download the flyer.