Green Apple Day of Service Events in the Tempe Union High School District

All five of our first year Sustainability Science for Sustainable Schools Fellows were involved in the US Green Building Council (USGBC) sponsored Green Apple Day of Service with events across the Tempe Union High School District on Friday, September 27th and Saturday, September 28th. Activities included: recycling activism at Desert Vista by painting trash cans and generating a plan for the future, engaging students and teachers in improving the greenhouse and garden space at Mountain Pointe, performing an energy audit at Compadre, urban heat island investigations at Marcos de Niza, a long awaited garden creation at Tempe High and a solar energy cafe at McClintock High School. Both students and parents at McClintock learned how the school’s solar living lab works and talked to industry professionals about what the technologies offer on Friday. They were initially charged with the question, “which one of these is made by solar photovoltaic technology versus solar thermal technology: S’mores, hot dogs, a cell phone charger in an Altoids can or cookies?” The event provided them with the delicious answer! If you want to learn how to make a cell phone charger with your students, check out the video here: