Eighty-one schools in Macomb County have been named Green Schools for the year for activities and efforts toward helping the environment.
The schools were announced Friday, three days before Monday’s Earth Day, by the county Board of Commissioners for one of three levels of achievements: Emerald, Evergreen or Green. The number is a slight increase from 77 schools last year and includes 10 schools that were not Green Schools last year.
“The Michigan Green Schools Program is a fun, educational initiative that encourages students to participate in activities that are good for the environment and promote energy efficiency and savings,” said county officials.
Nolan Lawroski, a teacher at Center Line High School, was named the top Green Advocate and Logo Design winner is Sandra Lancaster, a senior from New Haven High School whose work will be used through the 2024-25 school year in the county.
Lawroski is credited with incorporating the concept of citizen stewardship into his environmental science class, officials said.
“All activities are engaging students in real learning such as raising fish and snails in classroom tanks,” and, “whenever possible he gets the kids outside and hands-on,” officials said.
He developed a project that encourages students “to advocate for better environmental concerns around our school building.”
He spearheaded obtaining a $1,650 grant from the Michigan Association of Environmental Professionals “to help spread environmental education in both formal and informal settings,” according to officials.
The grant is to help revitalize and clean the pond in the courthouse at the high school and to help restore the Panther Garden, with the money paying for things such as plants, gardening tools, a new pond pump and materials to build birdhouses.
Schools can also apply for a piece of four mini-grants that are being financed by the Detroit Zoo and WM, a waste management, comprehensive waste, and environmental services company.
Mini-grants are available. Schools can seek to obtain one of 30 $100 gift cards from Ray Wiegand’s Nursery to start a Michigan native garden, one of 10 $100 gift certificates to Marvelous Promotions to create Green School apparel, one of three $500 cash prizes to create a Green School activity or effort and one of 20 large wheeled recycling containers.
