Teaching Green

For the second consecutive year, Goddard has teamed up with Earth Hour. Starting March 22 Goddard Schools will launch a whole week of lessons and activities getting the students ready for the celebration called “Stepping Up for the Environment” on March 26th at 10am when the school will turn off any non-essential lighting for 1 hour.

“We want children to think about how we all impact the environment in our daily lives and how each one of us can make a difference. Earth Hour provides a great opportunity to accomplish that,” said Joseph Schumacher, CEO of Goddard Systems, Inc. “As educators and as parents, we want to help children understand that how they care for and protect the earth will affect future generations.”

To prepare the Goddard students for Earth Hour, the Goddard School Ashburn will include activities that integrate the environment. Goddard Schools across the country will create a large banner and students will decorate it with hand prints and footprints, leaving their own little “carbon” footprint. Then, at 10 a.m., schools will turn off any non-essential lighting for one hour to participate in the official Earth Hour on March 27th at 8:30 pm. The children will “green” their own communities, by planting trees and picking up trash around school grounds. They will also create invitations asking parents and neighboring buildings to join them in Earth Hour, as well as city officials and environmental leaders, to join them in the week’s Earth Hour activities.

Participation in Earth Hour supports Goddard Systems, Inc.’s ongoing efforts and commitment to the environment. Recently, Goddard has become involved with Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) which give schools the option of purchasing wind energy credits, offsetting 100% of a schools electricity usage with clean, renewable wind power.