Being environmentally conscious is not just for Earth Day! Every day, we should reflect on how we can make choices that benefit the Earth. Also, the green habits we instill in students can become lifelong habits. Small changes in daily routines can lead to significant environmental benefits! So, use the art room to promote positive change for our Earth. Here are some ways.

  1. Ever get frustrated at students taking paper towels by the handful? One of the things I learned as a teacher is that we must teach everything, assuming nothing. So, take the time to teach students how to dry their hands with a single paper towel. Even better, someone has done this for us: show your students How to use a paper towel Ted Talk.
  2. Ban glitter from your room. I knew I had found my tribe when I learned other art teachers hated glitter as much as I did. This idea should be easy to implement. Glitter is detrimental to the environment because it is a microplastic, meaning it is a tiny plastic particle that can persist in the environment for an extended period and can harm marine life and other ecosystems.
  3. Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle: Use materials mindfully and repurpose scraps and leftover supplies to minimize waste. This is not only beneficial for the Earth but also for your budget. Some of my best lessons grew out of penny-pinching. Check out this lesson, which utilizes recycled magazines, Value Self-Portraits, and this Collage Self-Portraits lesson, created by art teacher Lynn Marie Paris. Cardboard is a great material to work with. Check out this lesson, Claes Oldenburg-inspired Cardboard Sculptures.

    Art teacher Karen Tetrault shared some ways she recycles materials in her art room. Tetrault writes, “I wash and reuse various food jars and aluminum tins in the art room. Supplies are stored in copy paper boxes, and the box tops are trays. Paper clips and folders are used over and over. Shoe boxes, old books, plastic toys, and bottle lids are made into art projects. Construction paper scraps become collage material…”
  4. Look for a material exchange program in your area. These programs facilitate the sharing and redistribution of materials between businesses, organizations, and individuals to promote reuse and reduce waste. 
  5. Repurpose materials in the art room. I put margarine containers with lids for holding slips in my ceramics room, and large and small yogurt containers make great water cups. I often could take the outdated newspapers from our library and use them for paper mache sculptures. I also had a mutually reciprocal relationship with a local frame shop whose employees would save the scraps from mats they would cut. They were often quite large, and I found many ways to use them. Also, I ask the custodians to save pencils they would discover when sweeping- recycling at its best! And take-out containers are great for storing things like Sharpies and erasures.
  6. Use Freecycle, Community Free Groups, and even Facebook Marketplace for valuable items for your art program. Recently, I shared with art teachers a display case that a local business was giving away.
  7. Teach students about artists using their work for environmental issues and artists who make work with sustainable materials. Some possibilities:
    Waste Electrical Wires Are Woven into Delicate Lace Garments by Designer Alexandra Sipa
    Theaster Gates And “The Minor Arts”
    Environmental Artist Jon Foreman Creates Stunning Stone Mandalas By The Shore
  8. Reduce waste. Art teacher Karen Tetrault shared, “Instead of paper pallets being thrown away, I laminated tagboard, and we wipe and reuse those.” I often used plexiglass scraps for palettes. I also found it effective to give a visual representation of how much paint to take at any given time, like a dime-sized worth. I always bought Elmer’s glue by the gallon and would refill my bottles. I also would grab the mistakes from the Photocopy room fr students to draw their sketches and plans on the back blank side.
  9. Know how to properly dispose of hazardous materials in your art room such as oil paint, solvents, glaze, photo chemicals, spray paints, acid dyes, etc. Safety Data Sheets (SDSs), formerly known as Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs), are typically provided by the supplier or manufacturer of the chemical or hazardous material. These documents contain vital information about the material’s properties, potential hazards, and safe handling procedures. 
  10. Use programs to help recycle materials. For example, broken crayons can go to the Crayon Collection. While Crayola has stopped its marker recycling program, Staples has partnered with TerraCycle to recycle used markers, Sharpies, and highlighters. Bring your collection to Staples, and they will send it to the recycle center for you. Another great program is Opus Art Supplies, which accepts most art supplies through its program.

Do you have any stratagies for making art rooms greener? Please share in the comments!