Teaching a green lifestyle is our Core Value that supports being Eco-Friendly. We believe in creating environments and opportunities that will hopefully last a lifetime for children and employees. We do all things the most natural way possible, which means no harsh chemicals, no materials that are harmful to the environment.
Here are ways we teach and live a green lifestyle in our centers:
- We use a green cleaner called Force of Nature. Force of Nature has no bleach, no fragrances, no dyes, no preservatives… all around absolutely no harmful chemicals, but still has the power to kill 99.9% of bacteria! It is made with salt, water and vinegar.
- We do additional sanitizing of all materials with our Zono Machine! This is a 30-minute sanitizing cycle that will eliminate ALL of the unwanted bacterial by replacing oxygen with ozone.
- Each classroom and common areas have a Blue Air Purifier. The air purifiers are designed to provide higher amounts of clean air using filters and electrostatic charging- this makes tiny airborne particles sticky, so they stick to the filter instead of just passing through. Our team monitors the air quality throughout the day.
- Essential Oil Diffusers with Young Living Oils are in every classroom and throughout the center as a natural air freshener. We only use citrus oils in our classrooms to keep them smelling fresh.
- Each center has a home-grown Organic Garden! The gardens are all grown by an employee who is a Garden Resident Expert. The classrooms and children help start the garden as seeds, transplant, water and harvest. Classrooms complete cooking projects and children learn the whole process of gardening to produce fresh produce to enjoy together.
- Cloth napkins are used at snack and mealtimes in place of paper napkins.
- Our classrooms have minimal plastic items, instead we purchase real items, opposed to toy plastic replicas. What better way for children to learn than to have real life experiences and materials to explore.
- When we receive fresh produce weekly, our chefs soak and wash fresh fruits and veggies with vinegar and water. We make sure produce is washed in the safest way for children.
- Each classroom has at least three plants in the classroom. Not only do the plants make our classrooms feel like “home” but they help purify the air!
- Another thing we do is that we ask parents to turn off their cars while dropping off and picking up their children. This makes the air healthier by cutting down on hazardous pollution in our environment, and also maintains safety for personal belongings.
Click here to see our video on Teaching a Green Lifestyle Core Value! Huge thank you to the Director at The Learning Tree West, Savannah, for sharing her passion on this Core Value!