43 green schools in Macomb receive green honors

Students at Frasher Public Schools don’t learn in their classrooms as much as above them. The school district recently built a green roof above its maintenance building between its middle and high schools. Teachers plan to start using it as a teaching tool so students can study things like the water quality of the rain runoff that ends up the Clinton River watershed compared to runoff from a tar roof. They’re also going to study how the sedum grass grows and adapts to the environment.”It has a great bloom in the summer and spring,” says Stacie Salsbery, a seventh grade teacher and green school coordinator for Frasher Public Schools. “We have noticed a lot of animals going up there like birds and insects.”Frasher Schools have four of 43 schools in Macomb County that achieved status as a Green School through the Michigan Green Schools Program. The program encourages both public and private schools to become more environmentally friendly through a variety of different ways.Participating schools can particpate by starting recycling programs or becoming more energy-efficient or building natural wildlife habitats. All of the schools met at least 10 of the 20 criteria to achieve the designation. Other schools have gone above and beyond: The Macomb Mathematics, Science & Tech Center in Warren recently built a wind turbine, while Austin Catholic Academy found a number of ways to make the new building in Macomb Township energy-efficient.Macomb County plans to recognize the schools with awards on April 22, Earth Day. Source: Macomb CountyWriter: Jon Zemke