You have them. They come from flashlights, old toys, remotes, phones, and even laptops. They are in a drawer somewhere in your house, in a bin or a plastic bag. Hopefully, you haven’t thrown them away with your regular trash. You are wondering how on earth you are going to get rid of them. So your question: what do you do with all of your dead batteries?

Lucky for you, this week is Earth Week. This week will solve your battery problem and also make you more aware of our environment and everything in it. Thanks to the hard work of the Environmental Club and its president, Grace McKenna, this is going to be a very fun and interesting week!

There are themes for every day of the week, which carry throughout the day in different ways. There are activities that are incorporated into lunch and homeroom which will get the students excited about the theme for the day. Here is a look at some of the themes and activities.

On Monday, the theme is Water Conservation. There will be a plastic water bottle collection in the cafeteria where students can put their plastic water bottles when they are finished. There will also be an informational display in the cafeteria containing different facts about water. Some things highlighted in the display will be water usage and water as a resource.

On Tuesday, the theme is Sustainable Food. There will be a bake sale during lunch mods with sustainable food. There will also be a display which shows which foods are sustainable to eat.

Wednesday’s theme will be No Waste Wednesday. All students are invited to bring their lunches in reusable containers, and another display will be in the cafeteria. This display will be about plastic wastes and pollution.

The theme on Thursday will be Blackout Day. Teachers and students will be invited to turn off lights and try to minimize their energy usage. Students will also be encouraged to find out their carbon footprint, which will be a fun activity. The informational display for today will tell about electricity and fossil fuel. Like the other displays, this one can be found in the cafeteria.

Endangered Species Day! On Friday, there will be fun activities to wrap up Earth Week. There will be face painting and a movie will be shown, and students will be allowed to wear green accessories. The display for today will be about endangered species. This too can be found in the cafeteria.

There will be a bin for batteries in the foyer where students can put any old batteries. These batteries can be recyclable, rechargeable, and standard; any batteries are acceptable (except car batteries). The batteries placed in the bins will be disposed of properly at MOM’s Organic Market after Earth Week.

An electronics recycling event will take place on Friday, May 2nd from 7:00-9:00 a.m. Electronics can be taken to the lower level parking lot where, for a small fee, the old electronic equipment can be disposed of in a safe and environmentally friendly way. A wide range of electronics can be recycled, including TVs, cell phones, printers, CDs, microwaves and more. Refrigerators and air conditioners will not be accepted.

For the Middle Level, May 22nd and 29th will be designated garden days for the 7th grade to work in the middle level garden. Old batteries will begin to be collected Monday. Students should put their old batteries in the bins outside of the Middle Level Office. The class which brings in the most batteries will win a prize!

So, get excited for Green Week 2014. Thanks to the hard work of many dedicated girls, it looks like it’s going to be a success!

So, the final question for you this week: Are you green enough?

Thanks to the environmental club and the NDP website for some of the information.
Photo credit nucuisine.wordpress.com