Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Hampstead Hill Participates in Sustainability Challenge

Hampstead Hill Academy (HHA) joined over 30 other Baltimore City Schools as leaders in sustainability through a Baltimore City Schools Sustainability Challenge grant.

Students at HHA, led by Food for Life teacher Chrissa Carlson, completed a "Trash to Treasures" project. The grant funds were used to implement and document activities at the school that conserve and reuse resources, and demonstrate to the community how they can take action at home.

Drip irrigation lines, fed by rain barrels, helped water beds in the school's organic garden using stored rainwater from rain barrels, and waste from the annual Hampstead Hill Nights events was composted to organic soil amendments for the garden.

The Conservation Team documented their work and shared information on conserving water and energy, and reducing waste at a Green Expo during the final Hampstead Hill Nights event on May 26th.

Students also shared their work, along with other grant recipients, at a celebration with Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake on May 21st.

Thank you to Baltimore City Public Schools, the Baltimore Community Foundation, the Baltimore Office of Sustainability; and the Baltimore Neighborhood Energy Challenge for supporting Hampstead Hill Academy.