GH Wins $500 Greening Michigan Classrooms Grant

Greenhills recently won a $500 grant from Michigan Energy Works. The money will be used to purchase two bins for an Intro Biology composting project.

In the grant application, science teacher Martha Friedlander wrote:  “We study cycles of nutrients in Introductory Biology and link that to an inquiry-study of compost and what variables influence composting efficiency. After researching what these variables might be, students set up experiments to seek answers to their driving questions. At the same time, the school needs to have larger or more compost bins to accommodate the volume of fruit and vegetable waste we create in the dining room each day. Having five different bins that each operate on a different principle would not only provide the volume needed but also become a part of the experiment. By tracking data such as temperature, pH, and appearance of the compost in each type of bin, Biology students would be conducting market research and learning about compost at the same time. Parents have donated two types of bins already, so we still need to build or purchase three more. The Introductory Biology students will provide the workforce to run the program. Once a year, the finished compost will get added to the school’s community garden, the harvest of which goes to Food Gatherers. Over time, students will see the value of converting fruit and vegetable wastes into compost and aiding the nutrient cycles by tracking the volume of the harvest each year.”

Michigan Energy Works awarded 46 grants to teachers across the state.