Don’t get bogged down in the doom-and-gloom of environmental challenges. Teach low-er waste habits as you would hand washing or instructing students how to conduct themselves during a fire drill. Be a model of good habits they can adopt as their own.
Classroom incentives can be more about shared experiences and less about cheap plastic toys/items and individually wrapped snacks. Try board game days, a hike around campus, picnics, extra recess, lunch with a valued staff member, etc.
Try an in-class screen-free day once a month to encourage less energy expenditures; can the students extend screen-free at home too as a homework challenge?
See Waste Free Wednesdays in “Food & Drink”
Stay positive, especially with students younger than 4th grade. Teach your students to love and care for the environment with positive conversations and by modeling how simple low-er waste habits can extend into their own lives.
Celebrate Earth Day like you do other holidays. (April 22nd)
Stop expecting projects to be done with new materials. Encourage cardboard over poster board, magazine clippings over printed pictures; allow students to turn work in on the back of used paper. Grade on content and creativity of material choices rather than how shiny and new the project is.