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Schools

LITH Goddard School Turns Lights Off For Earth Hour

The Goddard School in Lake in the Hills shut off its lights for an hour to celebrate Earth Hour on Friday.

When the pre-kindergarten class at the in Lake in the Hills was asked about what materials were better for the environment on Friday, Britt Plunkett was quick with an answer.

"Biodegradable," Plunkett shouted from the back of the group. 

Guest speaker Kyle McCoy, recycling coordinator at Allied Waste in Elgin, was impressed with her quick response but not incredibly surprised.

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"It's starting to become second nature," McCoy said. "Kids just grow up with recycling now.  Some kids seem to have a special connection with the environment.  It's important that they know it's not just putting (waste) in the bin and that's the end of it."

McCoy came to Lake in the Hills Goddard School this past Friday as part of an Earth Hour celebration. The school has participated in Earth Hour for the past three years by inviting environmental speakers and turning off the school's lights for an hour.

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Lake in the Hills Goddard School owner Michele Clark asked McCoy to speak to the students about what they can do with their own families to reduce waste and be smarter about their electricity consumption.

"We are encouraging the kids to celebrate with their families," Clark said.  "Hopefully they will also take home an understanding of why it's so important."

McCoy spoke to the kids about good recycling practices, garbage truck safety and things that families can do to reduce waste. 

He surprised the kids with the fact that plastic water bottles can last thousands of years in dumps when they aren't recycled.  The students practiced picking up litter during recess, made lists of reusable materials and worked together to create a classroom mascot out of recyclable materials.

Earth Hour began in Sydney, Australia when 2.2 million individuals and more than 2,000 businesses turned lights off for one hour in 2007 to take a stand against climate change.  It has grown since then to include people from over 128 countries in 2010.  This year, Earth Hour was celebrated on March 26 at 8:30 p.m. local time and the movement encourages people to go beyond the hour and make lower energy consumption routine.

Check back to Lake in the Hills Patch on Thursday for a full photo gallery from the Earth Hour celebration at Goddard School.

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