Proud to be a Green Panda

By Mrs. Rebecca Bedard
One of the best things about being a fourth grader at Gilford Elementary School is being able to be a Green Panda!  Green Pandas play a very important role at our school.  We help keep our school green and promote recycling to our friends and families!  At the start of our fourth grade year we are given the opportunity to volunteer to be a Green Panda.  Most of us have wanted to be Green Pandas since third grade!  We believe in helping the environment, recycling at home and at school, and want to help others to learn about recycling and become a part of the program.

Every Wednesday morning a group of Pandas gets dropped off before the school day even begins, and make our way to the art room, where our adventure begins.  We are led by Ms. Valpey.  With her help, and the help of many other adults in our building, we are sent in groups of two to three to collect recyclables.

There are maps that show the building and we are all given an area we are responsible for. Our task is to collect the recycling bins and bring all recycled paper and bottles back to the art room.  After collecting all the bins the fun begins.  We get the privilege of dumping the containers into the dumpsters.  Each week we fill the dumpster up, and every Thursday our dumpster is emptied and our paper is on its way to be recycled and used again as something new!

A bonus to being a Green Panda is that we get totally awesome t-shirts to wear, so everyone knows what we are doing.  We are so lucky to be a part of the Green Pandas and we know we are completing a very important task.  We have formed friendships and we have a fun time together, while helping to make the earth a better place – one recycling bin at a time!

About the author: Mrs. Rebecca Bedard is a fourth grade teacher at Gilford Elementary School in Gilford, New Hampshire. She grew up in Gilford and now lives there with her husband and two dogs. She loves anything outdoors and you can always find her with her dogs!

Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.