TOWSON, MD—Baltimore County Public Schools students, families, and staff are invited to participate in the school system’s Hybrid Earth Day Celebration, on Thursday, April 22.

“BCPS is committed to establishing sustainable school facilities and encouraging student environmental stewardship,” said Kelley Holocker, BCPS energy and sustainability analyst in the Office of Facilities Support Services.

With its Hybrid Earth Day Celebration, the BCPS Department of Facilities Management and Strategic Planning asks the entire BCPS community to participate in sustainable practices and activities at home or in BCPS schools and offices and to share pictures of their Earth Day activities with the hashtag #BCPSGreen60.

The department recommends the following 10 sustainability practices:

1. Identify and slay “Energy Vampires” (electronics that are plugged in and consuming power even when not in use).
2. Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.
3. Pack a waste-free lunch (using reusable containers).
4. Conserve water (by taking shorter showers, turning off water faucets when not in use, and planting native plants).
5. Calculate your individual or family carbon footprint.
6. Buy local food or goods.
7. Donate clothes or goods.
8. Pick up trash in your community.
9. Spread awareness with environmental education.
10. Participate in Green 60: Our Planet, Our Home, an interschool environmental action challenge

A library of additional resources can be found on the department’s website.

In addition, the department is supporting a new teacher-led initiative, BCPS Goes Green, to promote sustainable practices and environmental literacy throughout BCPS schools, in alignment with the BCPS Compass strategic plan.

“The idea came after Baltimore County’s director of planning, Steve Lafferty, and I spoke about follow-up green work in BCPS after the Student Youth Climate Summit work,” said Niamh McQuillan, BCPS coordinator of leadership development. “He asked that we figure out a way to follow through on the ideas. I spoke with Nora Murray [program specialist overseeing student leadership programs] and then connected with the science crew, et voila! A synergistic blend.”

“The goal of BCPS Goes Green is to build a BCPS Green Community where educators and leaders can connect sustainability to the classroom using real-world examples in the schools, and provide an avenue for student-led, county-wide sustainability initiatives,” said Holocker.

The initiative is formed by four major committees tackling key sustainable practices within the school system: Green Buildings, Energy Conservation, and Efficiency; Local Foods and Sustainable Agriculture; Sustainability Forums and Events; and Solid Waste Management and Plastics. Any teacher or administrator interested in joining a committee can reach out to their science resource teacher for more information