Northville elementary teaching kids about the environment

The last day of school was full of excitement at Amerman Elementary in Northville.  Students left to enjoy summer vacation after learning about all kinds of things, including the environment.

Amerman is considered an Emerald Green School because of its various green projects from an outdoor garden and butterfly garden to a self-watering green wall growing indoors and, of course, recycling.

"Because we've been able to recycle material and take some of the things that kids have at lunch, put it in our compost pile, we've reduced our garbage footprint by seven pounds a day," principal Dr. Stephen Anderson explained.

He said Amerman students also do water quality testing with Friends of the Rouge, and this year they raised $13,000 for a solar pavilion.  It will be built in the next few months.

"We hope it will reduce our energy costs ... and, of course, our carbon footprint.  Now in these tight budgetary situations, if we can reduce some of our costs that's always good," Anderson said.

The school serves 545 students in kindergarten through fifth grade.  What they learn at school they take home to their parents.  Preparations are already being made for new green projects.

In the greenhouse there is an experiment underway.  They're growing plants to see what will survive on a green roof they will be planting next school year.

"If we're trying to grow plants here, that's biology, that's science.  We're measuring using mathematics.  We are writing down information in a non-fiction manner, so that's writing," Anderson remarked.

He said the environment provides countless teachable moments, lessons that are good for the planet and will last a lifetime.