WALK TO SCHOOL DAY is May 23rd. Clemson Police will be on hand to make one lane of the Berkeley bridge only for pedestrians. The other lane will be alternating traffic. Recommended you avoid driving to CES on May 23 between 7:30 and 8am. Parking available at Country Walk (pool lot), Village Walk (undeveloped section) and Lowe's (there's a path across the street from Lowe's that goes to Ashley Estates). See parking map below:
 

 

If you would like to help with the event as a volunteer, send an e-mail to gogreence@gmail.com.
 

5th graders!!! If you walked on EVERY Walk to School Day so far, you will be recognized as "WALKING CHAMPIONS". Please register your name on the Walk to School sign-up sheet, or by sending an e-mail with your name and homeroom to gogreence@gmail.com. 

10th WALK TO SCHOOL DAY coming up!

Can you believe it? Clemson Elementary School's 10th Walk to School event is coming up this spring!!!

We have been SOOOOOO lucky to experience the benefits of walking to school! With the help of the city's major, Clemson University, Daniel High School, Clemson City Police, the surrounding neighborhoods and the school community, we've spread the message of healthy lifestyle, environmental consciousness and safe pedestrian behavior. Our spectacular photo album illustrates the joy and fun we have had on each and every morning as we walked to school. We had our event covered in local papers (see one example) and in New Channel 4. We set into motion the City's Berkeley Bridge Project that will enable future generations to walk to school safely!

Sprout thanks all those involved in this outstanding achievement!

Keep WALKING, and keep GOING GREEN Clemson Elementary!!!

If you would like to help or volunteer, please, leave us a comment!

Berkeley Drive Pedestrian Bridge in the works

Sprout it happy to report, that Clemson City Council Meeting on January, 2014 has signed a resolution to authorize:

 

... THE LOCAL MATCH FOR THE BERKELEY DRIVE SHARED USE PATH AND BERKELEY DRIVE PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE TRANSPORTATION ALTERATIVES PROJECT AND DIRECTING THE CITY ENGINEER TO EXECUTE A LOCAL PUBLIC AGENCY PROJECT AGREEMENT WITH THE SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION.

 

Read the Resolution here!!!

As you know, The City of Clemson has been working on improving the safety of pedestrian traffic along Berkeley Drive extending from the intersection of Frontage Road south of US 123 to the Clemson Elementary School drive opposite of Karen Drive to the north of US 123. They proposed improvements that would include the construction of a multiple-use path along the east side of Berkeley Drive and a new pedestrian bridge over US 123.
  

The city's website reports that "The City contracted with Florence and Hutcheson to perform engineering services for the project. Florence and Hutcheson has the finished design of the project and conducted several Public Information Meetings along the way. Final design approval from SCDOT is anticipated in January of 2012. The design portion of the project was funded by the Pickens County “C” Funds Committee."

 

You can see info, pictures and plans on this flyer.

 

Walk to School Day - November 7th, 2013

Remember that cold November morning last year, when we had a chance to walk to school? How much fun it was! Thanks to over 280 energetic walkers, we managed to reduced the carline with more than 230 cars! A huge THANK YOU needs to go our to the police force that helps keep the event safe for all, to all the volunteers that aid walkers and drivers alike, to community members that show patience and support. We especially thank the neighborhoods around the school who graciously allow cars to park in their neighborhoods on Walk to School Day. Giving every family a chance to experience the joy of walking is a wonderful achievement! Nothing proves the value of our Walk to School days more than seeing healthy smiles on faces (instead of yawning, sleepy glances through car windows)!

WALK TO SCHOOL

Let's walk to school again this Friday (May 31st)! Please leave early enough to arrive safely at school by 8:00 a.m. Walking to school is great exercise, and it also helps reduce the number of cars in the carline and keeps our air clean. There will be policemen stationed at different points to assist with walking. Students should plan to go home from school their regular way. Enjoy your walk!
 .......................................................................................

DID YOU KNOW...? Two recent studies have found that walking to school is associated with higher overall physical activity throughout the day. (In other words: if you start active, you'll stay active.)

There are many potential benefits of physical activity for youth including:

• Weight and blood pressure control
• Bone, muscle, and joint health and maintenance
• Reduction in the risk of diabetes
• Improved psychological welfare
• Better academic performance

SOMETHING ELSE TO THINK ABOUT-------------->

Walking and bicycling to school also may help contribute to the developmental health of children. Some children today have less independence than their parents did and this lack of independence can negatively impact their social behavior development. Driving a child from home to school limits the child's opportunities to interact with their neighborhood and other children. Children who spend more time in supervised structured activities have fewer opportunities to explore their neighborhoods. Children may lose some relatively "safe" opportunities to make decisions independently. They miss some of the lessons gained from learning from mistakes and the confidence that comes with success. Questions also have been raised regarding how children who spend all their travel time in motor vehicles will master fundamental pedestrian and bicycling skills and what kind of drivers they will become because of their lack of experience negotiating traffic as walkers or bicyclists.

(Based on www.saferoutesinfo.org)

EARTH DAY 2013 - APRIL 22.

LET'S CELEBRATE!
Send an e-mail to gogreen@gmail.com to invite a GoGreen volunteer to YOUR classroom!
So many ways to be kind to our Earth ...

- separate your waste in school and/or at home (compost organic waste, sort plastics/papers/aluminum)

- go on a nature walk (eg. on the school's nature trail)

- study about recycling (ask for GoGreen's play recycling truck)

- watch a puppet show about waste decomposition (ask for GoGreen's puppets and props)

- do green crafts (ideas here)

- play the recycling scavenger hunt (Sprout took some photos of green spots in Clemson. Find on the map where the photos were taken! You can see the map and photos here. )

- play the "oil game" (game handbook and video)

- discuss the "The Story of Stuff" (see videos here)

- read books about environmental issues (available at our library)

 

-check your ecological footprint here!

International Recycling

Webelo scouts from Troop 235 are busy recycling at the International Festival! THANK YOU, SCOUTS!

Did you know ..... The  Environmental Performance Index (EPI) completed by Yale University found that in green efforts the U.S. ranks only 39th from 163 countries examined?

The EPI rates countries by assigning numeric values for different aspects of environmental policies. Each of 163 countries was graded on a scale of 1 to 100 (with 100 being the highest score). The EPI ranks many European and South American countries higher that the U.S. The EPI takes into account not just recycling, but other factors like purity of drinking water, carbon emissions and disease rates.

2010 EPI Top 10 Countries With Scores (Out of a possible 100)

1. Switzerland, 95.5
2. Sweden, 93.1
3. Norway, 93.1
4. Finland, 91.4
5. Costa Rica, 90.5
6. Austria, 89.4
7. New Zealand, 88.9
8. Latvia, 88.8
9. Colombia, 88.3
10. France, 87.8

Well, we still have quite a way to go to make it into the top 10! Keep up Go-ing Green, kids!!!!

Last Friday's Walk to School event was so much fun!!! THANK YOU (a big one!) to all the helpers and walkers! Special thanks to the police force keeping us safe when crossing Berkeley Bridge!

282 people walked to school, and as a result we had 276 less cars in the carline than on other days. Isn't that amazing?!?!?!?

Feel free to make any day to a "walk to school" day for yourself! You know now how great it feels to start the day with walking! Mother Earth (and the carline assistants) will thank you!

+ Did you know?  SC is currently second in the country (behind California) with more than 180 schools planning events during International Walk to School month!

Walk to School  - Friday, Oct. 5!!!!

 

Join the Clemson Elementary School community in celebrating International Walk to School Day on Friday, October 5th. Take some time this week to promote health, safety and the environment by walking to school! 

• Walk for fitness and walk for fun!
• Walking to school is a great opportunity to teach and practice safe walking skills.
• If you live too far from school to walk, drive part of the distance, then park and walk the rest of the way! We have permission for you to park at the neighboring subdivisions around the school and at Country Walk!
  

 

We've walked this way!

Our 7th, semi-annual Walk to School day on June 8th, 2012 was a great success and a lot of fun.

373 people walked to school on this beautiful, sunny summer morning. Thank you for all the students, their parents and pets for participating. We managed to eliminate 240 cars from the carline, thanks to getting on our feet! Walking helped to keep our air cleaner, and helped us to start field day happy, energized and warmed up! Look at photos about Walk to School in the "Sproutpictures" album!

Thank you for the the city's police force and for the parent volunteers for making this morning a safe experience for walkers and drivers alike!

Thank you for the talented artists who entertained and encouraged us with their colorful chalk artwork on the sidewalks on our way to school. (We even got a countdown of the distances to school - and Alaska!) Check out the slide-show here!

WALK TO SCHOOL - JUNE 8, 2012

Get on your feet ! Walk to school again on the morning of June 8th! This Friday morning you'll have a chance to start your day with exercise, help our air stay clean and reduce the number of cars in the carline!

E-waste recycling at Clemson Elementary - 1st week of March

Don’t throw away your old and unused cell-phones, digital cameras, camcorders, mp3 players, Ipods, GPSs laptops, notebooks, computer keyboards, mice! Clemson Elementary’s GoGreen team and Terracycle will combine efforts to re-purpose and recycle your, e-waste, while earning dollars to our school. We’ll collect e-waste during the first week of March at the school and in Clemson neighborhoods. If you’d like to sign up your neighborhood, please contact gogreence@gmail.com.

Here is a list of what we can recycle and how much our school would benefit from sending in items to Terracycle:

For more information on how Terracycle works, visit their website: http://www.terracycle.net/!

ON THE NEWS --Pedestrian-Friendly Bridge To Be Built In Clemson

Did you see the plans? Yesterday, Berkeley Bridge plans were revealed at a meeting in our school. (Read more here.) Even News Channel 4 covered the event! Check it out!!!

400+ walked to school!

Huge THANK YOU to everyone who walked to school last Friday!!!! Around 440 people + at least 20 dogs!!! It was fun-fun-fun!

We managed to reduce the number of cars in the carline with 173 cars! Can you imagine how much less exhauste got into the air!

Did you see the walkers' happy, rosy faces? Perhaps it was party due to the morning chill, but surely mainly due to the healthy walk!

The first walkers brave the morning chill:


Rolling backpacks, carrying poster boards, leading dogs - nothing stops us from walking!


Arriving to school walkers are rewarded with sprout stamps


We get to school fresh and happy


See more pictures here!

WALK TO SCHOOL DAY - May 6th, 2011

Come and walk to school again! I'm sure you remember how much fun it was last fall! (Have you seen the pictures yet?) And I'm sure you also remember why it's sooooooooooo good for the environment if people choose to walk instead of to drive. (Need a reminder?)

This year, as in the past, police will help with crossing Berkeley Bridge (in the news, too!). Please tell your friends who drive across the bridge that morning to expect delays.

HAVE YOU HEARD? Soon we could have a safer way to walk to school (read this news article from Dec. 2010)! An alternative crossing path is in the works at our city council!!! Check out the handouts of the public information meeing here! (Feel free to download and print it from the SproutPrint website.) Please express your support and comments to:

See here a short outline of the proposed project:

EARTH DAY 2011 - Celebrate with Sprout!

This year Earth Day will take place during Spring Break. Celebrate with Sprout! You can choose from many activities you can do at home:

-- Check your ecological footprint here!

-- Write a list for yourself about what you can do at home to help the Earth!

-- Watch The Story of Stuff! Discuss it with friends and family!

-- Play our Green Clemson scavenger hunt! Sprout took some photos of green spots in Clemson. Find on the map where the photos were taken! You can see the map and photos here. You can also download and print the map from here.

--Visit the Earth Day Open House at the Geology Museum!

You can find all printable material from Sprout at the SproutPrint page!

Feel free to write me an e-mail about what you've learned! You can also fill out the sheet Sprout left in your Monday Folder. (Have you lost it? Download and print the Sprout Earth Day sheet from here!) If you return that sheet at the front office with your answers and name on it, Sprout will give you a green reward!

Walking to school - a step closer to safety (news article)

Clemson walkers a step closer to safety
Pedestrian bridge will ease concerns on Berkeley Drive

By John C. Stevenson • Pickens County News • Published: December 14. 2010 2:00AM

Plans for a pedestrian bridge over busy U.S. 123 at Berkeley Drive in Clemson is one step closer to fruition.

The City Council has decided to hire Florence & Hutcheson Consulting Engineers for about $69,000 to design a pedestrian bridge that would resolve a decades-old safety concern.

The narrow, two-lane Berkeley Drive overpass is a concern because Clemson Elementary School is on Berkeley Drive, and the road connects the school to local neighborhoods.

“If I was one of the parents, I would not let my children walk across it,” Clemson Elementary principal Ken Weichel said. “This will open up several neighborhoods, and be the safe way for kids to get to school.”

Clemson administrator Rick Cotton said safety has been an issue at the overpass since the elementary school opened 20 years ago. The city has considered various options, including tearing down the existing bridge and constructing a new one at a cost of about $2 million, and connecting sidewalk to the bridge, restriping the bridge and adding a fence to separate pedestrians from vehicles, at a cost of about $80,000.

Cotton said the existing Berkeley Drive bridge is in otherwise good condition, and does not need to be replaced, while the plan to restripe and add sidewalk and a fence “does not improve safety.”

“You've got a school there that's going to be there for another 40 or 50 years, let's build a 40- or 50-year solution,” Cotton said. “Council's decided we need to find a way to get this done.”

Florence & Hutcheson will be tasked not only with designing a pedestrian bridge, but also with “bidding and construction management” for the project, which Cotton said could cost as much as $700,000.

He said by May, the city “will have a project that's designed and built and ready to bid.”

At the same time, Cotton said, the city will work to find the money needed to build the pedestrian bridge. A Transportation Enhancement Program grant through the state Department of Transportation is a possible source, he said.

Eunice Lehmacher, a Clemson Elementary parent who has long lobbied for improvements to the overpass, said the pedestrian bridge will have benefits for the community in addition to pedestrian safety.

“My philosophy is walking is better than driving — for kids, for the environment, for all kinds of reasons,” she said. “I have friends who run across that bridge or walk across that bridge and cars don't slow down for them. They say it's kind of scary for them — for adults.”

Oct 1st, 2010 - Fall Walk to School Day

We had a very successful walk to school day on Friday! More than 585 of us walked! Hurray for all of us! Come, see more pictures on Flickr!

Anderson Independent even wrote an article about how our school and other schools walk for safe routes to school! Read more!

Why walk to school?

There are sooooo many reasons-

• Walking and biking to school provide opportunities for children and families to reduce their carbon usage and contribute to the health of the environment.
  
• If a family chooses to walk to school (rather than drive a personal vehicle)
  they can reduce their carbon use by .164 metric tons annually.
  
• If half of the students at an average size elementary school choose to walk to school their impact could be a savings of over 39 tons of greenhouse gas emissions a year. This is the equivalent of the carbon-removing abilities of 1,000 trees.
  
• Leaving the car at home just two days a week will reduce greenhouse gas
  emissions by an average of 1,600 pounds per year.
  
• Private vehicle emissions contribute to air pollution and global climate
  change, both of which threaten human and environmental health.
  
• Passenger cars, trucks, motorcycles, and SUVs together account for 62 percent of transportation related greenhouse gas emissions. The transportation sector is responsible for one-third of all carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. Air pollutants can be especially harmful to children because their respiratory systems are still developing.
  
• Air pollution has negative effects on lung development in children and can reduce lung function, increase respiratory infection, and aggravate asthma symptoms.
  
• Childhood asthma rates more than doubled from 1980 to the mid-1990s and they remain at historically high rates today. Presently, asthma is one of the most prevalent chronic childhood diseases and is a major cause of childhood disability. At least 14 million school days are missed annually due to asthma.
  
• Exposure to nature and time for free outdoor play can have multiple health benefits including stress reduction, relief ofADHD symptoms in children, and increased cognitive and motor functioning.
  

Berkeley Bridge on News Channel 4

WALK TO SCHOOL is making a difference!

Look at this news bit that aired yesterday on News Channel 4!http://www.wyff4.com/video/24946286/index.html

Plans are in the works to build a pedestrial bridge next to the existing bridge!!! Walking and biking is going to get much safer! I'm so excited!!!