Children at UT’s Apple Tree Nursery School are being encouraged to reduce and reuse at a young age by recycling and using appliances made from reusable materials such as cardboard and tin foil.
“It is important to show green concepts to the children because it teaches them how to take care of the planet early on,” said Sherry Roush director of the Apple Tree Nursery School. “We’re showing them to grow up green so that they will be able to face limited resources and planetary changes as adults.”
The children at Apple Tree have also stopped using disposable plates, cups and utensils and have replaced them with reusable ones.
Because of this minor change, they are able to conserve five pounds of landfill space per week, Roush said.
“This amount may seem insignificant but think about how much waste the children could potentially save in a month, even a year,” she said.
Wendy Kornsnack, a parent who has a four-year-old son enrolled at the daycare center, said that recycling has become a daily part of life for her son and will continue to be something he practices in the future.
The children have begun outdoor gardening as well, which includes growing vegetables in their own compost. In addition to individual conservation practices, the children at Apple Tree have also been introduced to the concept of solar technology through the utilization of a handmade solar oven, constructed out of cardboard and tin foil.
“These green exercises are wonderful,” said Kimberly Reynolds, a pre-school teacher in one of Apple Tree’s five classrooms.
“They are showing the children the concept of responsibility and conservation,” Reynolds said.
Having the children use the cardboard and tin foil solar oven and teaching them recycling as an every day exercise is Apple Tree’s first step in helping UT reach its goal of having a carbon-neutral footprint, Roush said.
“There’s still a long ways to go, but progress is definite,” she said.
Apple Tree will soon be using the internet to send memos in order to cut back on paper use, Roush said.
Reynolds also mentioned how the children were concerned when seeing trash on the floor of the cafeteria during a visit to the Student Union Building.
“The kids were asking ‘Why aren’t they throwing that in the garbage?’,” Roush said.
The children are taking note and realizing that recycling is necessary, Reynolds said.
Apple Tree Nursery School not only provides child care for UT faculty and staff members, but it is also a field site for students who are obtaining health related degrees. Students can carry out their internships at the daycare center and gain experience by interacting with the children.
Apple Tree is located on the south side of campus near the transportation center and has been providing services to UT students and employees for more than 30 years.
The nursery is a nationally accredited, nonprofit organization, which has been awarded three stars in Ohio’s quality rating system.
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