Green Panthers

Presentation at Pattana (BPS)

2011-05-19T18:42:00.005+07:00

On May 20th I presented to teachers and students at Bangkok Patana School about environmental actions a school could be involved with. The theme was LESS TALK... MORE ACTION. It showed things that can be done in class, with an environmental group and events a whole school can get involved with to change businesses. See both presentations below.

Carrotmob - Ban the Bag on Prezi

Bps presentation

View more presentations from Kerry Dyke.

Link to all various things shown in the presentation here

Earth Week Results

2011-05-06T09:12:00.002+07:00

Find out how Earth Week 2011 went. Which grade got the most points and earned a free dress day. Did the Carrotmob work?

Easth Week Results

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Carrotmob Winners!!!!

2011-04-28T16:57:00.002+07:00

Finally, we can announce the Carrotmob winners. First I would like to thank New York Diner, Que Pasa, Subway, Slider Shack and Twist for participating in the 2nd Bangkok Carrotmob.

Based on what all 5 companies have done we have selected 3 winners and they are:

Twist
Slider Shack
Que Pasa

Have a look at what all 5 companies have done by clicking here.

There were some significant changes made in certain areas.

Friday after school (2:15) the mob will meet in front of the ISB zig zag to get everyone together. Twist has agreed to come to us and will be set up in front with us and will have 200+ smoothies ready to go (60 baht - please have correct change).

From there we will march out to reward Slider Shack and then branch off to reward Que Pasa too. You can buy as little or as much as you like, but I recommend having 100-300 baht.

We still have no idea how many will turn up. I suspect about 200, but it could even reach 500 or more. We welcome anyone and everyone who wants to make a difference in the world and would like to reward businesses for making eco changes.

Remember the Carrotmob only works if people show up to support it.

Do students have the power to change the world?

2011-04-26T22:06:00.012+07:00

Carrotmob is a great opportunity for people to come together for change... But it ONLY works if people support it.

How does a Carrotmob work? Watch this video and see if you can figure it out first.

It is people rewarding businesses who make changes for the better. We reward them by going there and shopping on a certain day.

We are doing a carrotmob tomorrow (Friday, April 29), right after school. We will first meet in front of the school and head out from there.
The winner(s) will also be announced there. We need 500 people. If you care about the planet you live on and want to improve it... SHOW UP!

Help us chose a winner. Each synergy group can look through the list and vote on who you think should get 1st, 2nd, 3rd place. Your teacher can send me the votes.

Click here to see what changes each business made.

Hope to see you Friday in front of ISB. Bring some money (small bills please)

Earth Week 2011

2011-04-05T21:10:00.010+07:00

Dear Parents, teachers, students and ISB community,

I hope you can join us for many of our Earth Week events. You are welcome to all of them.

There is a lot happening this year. Be sure to know what going on.

ISB Earth Week 2011

View more presentations from Kerry Dyke.

ISB ECO MOVIE: April 21 at 2:10 and 3:15

SHARKWATER "The Truth Will Surface"

Students 4 Change - Carrotmob Style

2011-03-29T01:20:00.003+07:00

ISB students have made many eco changes over the past 6+ years. Last year we came together to form a mob... a Carrotmob in fact. That group was open to anyone in Thailand & grew to 8000+ members wanting to ban plastic bags. 1397 members showed up to at Villa supermarket to support their move to ban plastic bags!

From that success, we want to spread the Carrotmob concept to other schools. This group is specifically designed for students in Thailand (International and Thai) to create change in their community. We also welcome teachers, school staff, parents and/or community member who want to make positive changes towards a more sustainable and/or socially responsible world.

The Carrotmob concept is awesome and it works! In short, you build a crowd; that's the mob. We build the mob using Facebook and Twitter. Together the mob has consumer power and we help support businesses to make eco friendly changes; this is using the carrot instead of the stick. No protests, boycotts or negative behavior; it's win - win for everyone. At Villa we banned plastic bags, but we could also help restaurants support organic farmers, or help a store use energy saving devices, or biodegradable containers. The opportunities are endless. Usually the businesses are put into a competition (but not always), and the winner gets the mob. By that, I mean the mob shows up on a chosen day to support the winner simply by shopping there.

What do you have to do to help?
The beauty of the Carrotmob is you don't do much to be effective.

• 1st - Join "Students 4 Change"
• 2nd - Use FB, Twitter, and your voice to spread the message to your friends and family in Thailand. The more members we have the more effective it is.
• 3rd - When a winner is chosen and a day is set, just show up and shop!

That's it! There are a lot of International & Thai Schools in Thailand. Imagine if we are all connected for common causes. Together we can make a lot happen.

Our next event is called "ISB EARTH WEEK CARROTMOB" and it is happening on April 29, 2011. If you live near ISB we would love for you to attend. Unfortunately, you cannot see the event on FB unless you join the group. Then the event 'should' be on the right side of the page.

Are you confused?

Students 4 Change - is the 'mother' group and can be used for all kinds of events to create changes for sustainability. Any school or group can use this audience to announce their event. It might be a big event in Bangkok that we want all members to attend.
ISB Earth Week Carrotmob - is a sub group of people in the ISB area ready to support the first event. Once this event is over, this group will also be over, but not the 'mother' group.

Help Local Businesses near ISB

2011-03-29T00:35:00.009+07:00

Let's help local businesses become more eco friendly & sustainable. For Earth Week we have invited businesses just outside Nichada to our Carrotmob competition. Que Pasa, Slider Shack, New York Diner, Subway, and Twist have all accepted the offer.

They were asked to do what they can to be more eco friendly and sustainable.
For example:

Que Pasa might put more organic items on their menu.
Slider Shack might use only free range meat.
New York Diner might decide to retrofit their restaurant to be more energy efficient.
Subway may reduce packaging.
Twist has already done a lot, but there’s always room for more.

Student teams have already visited each business to analyze their operation and look for areas to improve. We will offer suggestions and resources, but the final decision to make any change is totally up to the owner. During Earth week, the Green Panthers will determine a winner and the winner will receive the support of the mob to show up and shop after school on Friday, April 29th. If more than one business makes significant changes, we will most likely support them as well.

When we did this for Villa a year ago, our goal was 500 supporters. 1397 supporters showed up to make a big statement! Let's do it again.

Please sign up for "ISB Earth Week Carrotmob" by clicking the link.

What do you have to do to help?

The beauty of the Carrotmob is you don't do much to be effective.

1st - Become a member of this group.
2nd - Use FB, Twitter, and your voice to spread the message to your friends and family in the ISB area.
3rd - 2:15 pm Friday, April 29th join us to go shopping to support the winner!

What are you waiting for... let's make our community more sustainable!

More Eco Changes leading up to Earth Week

2011-03-29T00:14:00.005+07:00

You may have noticed the juice dispensers and new paper cups in the cafeteria. This was to reduce our dependence on plastic bottles for juice. However, now paper cups are used a lot. The cafeteria welcomes the idea of customers bringing their own cup. In the future, we may have more eco friendly disposable cups and maybe a discount for those bringing their own cup.

Since the bottled water campaign took place back in October, bottled water usage has dropped of by 66%. Before sales ranged between 1500-1800 bottles a week. Now it is about 500-600/week.

Due to success of Meatless Monday and proactive management in the cafeteria, we will hopefully welcome a new vegetarian section to open up during Earth Week which plans to remain at ISB afterwards. It is also likely to offer organic, but that isn’t confirmed yet.
“Follow-me Printing”, you print as normal from your computer, then go to a printer, and tap your ID card, the job will automatically come out. With our trial in the Middle School there was a significant reduction in uncollected paper.

Bio Bus comes to ISB

2011-01-25T22:53:00.003+07:00

Andy Pag is traveling around the world and giving an environmental message on the way. However, he is not just saying it; he's living it. He built a bus out of scrap material in a junkyard. If that wasn't enough, the bus runs on bio fuel. However, bio fuel can be very controversial and in many cases, it is worse for the planet and the habitat it destroys for many animals. However Andy isn't supporting the deforestation of rain forest, the oil palm plantations or even fuel made from corn or any other food crop. However, his message is all about using waste. His fuel is actually from waste cooking oil from restaurants.

Off course the bus itself is equipped with other eco products. Most things on the bus are again from waste materials, with a few exceptions such as the solar panel on the roof and the led lights.

Andy left England 14 months ago and has slowly made his way around the world, with one adventure after another. Not all has been positive, the bus has broken down several times due to its age, and the fuel has frozen in cold countries, Andy has been falsely suspected of terrorism in a ridiculous charge and spend some time in jail in India.

However, overall the journey has been worth it and Andy is in no hurry to finish it anytime soon.

Andy spoke with ISB students in 3 presentations held throughout the day and had an audience ranging from grades 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, and various HS classes.

Some 6th graders even made a video about the Bio Bus.

To see more go to http://www.biotruckexpedition.com/

Compass of Sustainability

2011-01-25T13:48:00.002+07:00

A few months back, I attended a workshop at NIST and it was about the COMPASS OF SUSTAINABILITY.

When we think of a regular compass, we think of a guiding tool that helps us find our way and give us direction. The Compass of Sustainability has the same goal, but in a different way. Instead of North, South, East, West, the Compass of Sustainability has:

N = Nature
E = Economy
S = Society
W = Wellbeing

The Compass of Sustainability is a reflective, decision-making tool that incorporates sustainability. It was designed to help businesses become sustainable, but is now being used more and more by schools to guide decisions and also used in the curriculum for all ages and subjects.

Currently, it has been experimented with grade 5, 8, Environmental Stewardship class, Global Issues, and some HS classes. Keep your eye on this one as it may grow to something quite important at ISB.

Eco Trip 3 - Elephants and Rivers!!

2011-01-14T11:48:00.005+07:00

March 11-13 ISB will head out for the 3rd eco trip of the year. It promises to be an exciting one whereby we stay on a raft boat in Sai Yok national park on Friday and then work with elephants on Saturday and Sunday at Elephant's World in Kanchanaburi.

Permission forms can be picked up on Mr. Dyke's desk in the Community Service Office (next to nurse office and book store).

There is only room for 25 and it will fill up fast. HS and MS students are welcome, but swimming ability is a must as we will stay on a river.

See Eco Trip Itinerary and camping checklist here

Eco Survey (Attitude and Behavior)

2010-11-16T12:00:00.002+07:00

Thank you for helping me with this survey.

I need people to take my behavioral survey and attitude survey. I just need synergy students to answer the questions honestly (don't say what you think I want to hear; just be honest). This will be the pre-test and in about 3-4 months I will ask you to take it again for the post-test.

Now it is time for part 2: Post Test

Please do both by clicking on the link.

Behavioral survey (Eco Footprint). Please copy and paste the survey in a word document, complete the survey, and email it back to kerryd@isb.ac.th.

Attitudinal survey. There are 3 groups. Please read to make sure you chose the correct group depending on your experience.

Group 1: Those who have never taken the Environmental Stewardship class before.
Group 2: I have taken the Environmental Stewardship class in the last year or less.
Grou p 3: I have taken the Environmental Stewardship class more than 1 year ago.

Thank you for your help.

Bottled Water Prices Double To 20 Baht

2010-10-12T17:23:00.002+07:00

As ISB continues to make moves to be a greener school, tough decisions are made that are not always easy to swallow (pardon the pun). As of Oct 12, 2010 ISB will charge double for bottled water. This is to discourage the buying of bottled water and to encourage more to move toward using reusable bottles that are safe and better for the planet.

ISB has supported this move by installing 2 new water dispensers in the cafeteria and sports area. This dispenser provides clean, safe drinking water for FREE! ISB has also ordered 1400 safe and eco friendly reusable water bottles. These bottles are being sold now at the bookstore for 350 baht.

The hardest part is to convince people to learn the truth about bottled water and stop believing misleading advertising and media. Most of us believe bottled water taste better, is safer and healthier, and comes from pristine water flowing from an untouched mountains. This simply is NOT true and there is plenty of evidence of this on the Internet and in other places. If you look at the presentation below you will start learning the truth about bottled water.

We also invite the ISB community to join us for Movie Night on Thursday, Oct 21, 2010. We will show the movie TAPPED in the new theater at 2:20 and 3:30.

Tap vs Bottled Water

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ISB Health & Fitness Week

2010-09-03T14:30:00.003+07:00

Health & Fitness Week at ISB September 13 – 16:

This year’s theme = Healthy People/ Healthy Planet. For detailed information and facts about some of the events check out the slide show and movie.

Monday: Walking school bus for those who live in the Nichada area. For more information about this, check out www.walkingschoolbus.org Contact Sabine Mau (sabinecmau@yahoo.com/ 082-332-3010) if you would like to volunteer to be a “bus driver.”
Monday: Meatless Monday in both the ES and main cafeterias – lots of delicious vegetarian options! See MENU HERE

Tuesday: Morning fitness exercises with Mr. Udagawa in front of the school (7:05 a.m.)
Tuesday: Health Checks given by Samithivej Hospital (in front of the Booster Hut) - open to all community members

Wednesday: Cycling Day. Let’s see if we can get 500 bicycles on campus!

Thursday: Health and Fitness Fair all day in the PE area: health checks given by Bumrungrad Hospital, fitness vendors, interactive health classes

All Week: Healthy food options in the cafeterias

Health & Fitness Week 2010

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FOOD INC.

Food Matters

Tree Planting - 2010

2010-08-29T12:31:00.006+07:00

30 students, 300 trees, lots of rain and a bus that broke down 7 times.

Great group of kids on this trip. Hope you had a great time.

Earth Week 2010

2010-04-22T14:54:00.002+07:00

Earth Week is from April 26-30. We will have different events each and every day as well as special guests. Hope you will participate. Check out the events below.

Earth week 40th anniversary

For full Earth Week 2010 presentation click here

Earth Day at ISB

2010-04-22T14:53:00.000+07:00

Today is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. At ISB we celebrated it by looking at what we have accomplished over the past 5 years. Please check out this video to see what changes have been made at ISB... many of them by students.

This video shows what students are doing for the environment or what they will do during Earth Week (April 26-30)

Also today 3 students (Katie, Eng and Oliva) went on Spanish radio to talk about the environment. This was broadcast in Spain, USA, and South American countries.

Congratulations ISB for taking steps towards a greener school.

This Explains It All - V-Day, Carrotmob, Ban Plastic, etc

2010-02-16T15:14:00.004+07:00

Today I presented to a full theater about what we are doing. It covered from beginning to end 1) The Problem: Plastic Bags, 2) The Solution, 3)How Do You Change Business: Carrotmob, 4) Action: V-Day, 5) Next Steps

In my opinion this is definitely the best way to get a handle on everything that is happening. Probably also the easiest way to explain it to a friend.

Hope you enjoy.

Ban Plastic Bags on Prezi

Bangkok Post Article

2010-02-05T13:18:00.001+07:00

As V-Day gets closer we are stepping up our efforts to let more and more know what is happening. Yesterday the Bangkok Post featured our efforts to ban plastic bags in Thailand on the front page of their business section. See full article here.

Eco Trip: Kaeng Kachan 2010

2010-01-17T23:56:00.003+07:00

27 students, 3 adults on a fun trip to Kaeng Kachan National Park. Jan 15-17, 2010.

Eco Trip Info

2010-01-11T17:32:00.008+07:00

This weekend 28 MS and HS students will go to Kaeng Kachan National park. Trip includes hiking, rafting, mt. biking, boat tour, tree planting, etc.

Departure date: Friday, Jan 15. Leave ISB 2:00 pm
Return date: Sunday, Jan 17. Leaving site approximately 3:00 and should be back around 6pm.
Housing: Bring own tent or share with a friend. Let me know if you really need one.
Transportation: Montri Bus
Participants: we have approximately 28 students
What to take: Please see below for my general checklist for all trips and things to remember.

General Camping Checklist

· Tent or partner up with someone with a tent. - If you can't get a tent email me to let me know. I can get you one if needed.
· Sleeping bag
· Flash light
· Sun cream, hat, and sun glasses
· Reusable water bottle
· Washing kit (soap, towel, toothbrush & paste)
· Clothes for getting wet and/or swimming
· Clothes for hiking: proper shoes, small back pack
· At night it could be hot or cold so be prepared for both.
· Be prepared for rain
· Snacks (reduce packaging)
· Spending money (about 500 baht)

To be more eco-friendly:

· Flash light without batteries
· Reusable water bottle
· Biodegradable soap
· Non toxic bug spray
· Little to no packaging/litter. We will not use a trash bin. You will keep all of your trash with you throughout trip! So keep it to a minimum.

Other things you can bring:

· Camera
· Phones and iPods are allowed on the trip but can only be used when in the tent and bus.
· No video games please. Use this time to socialize and take a break from technology.
· Pillow

Most important things to remember:
· Positive attitude. Remember you volunteered to go on this trip so enjoy it. Also remember others paid to do this and they want to enjoy it too. Get the most out of the experience.
· Some of you may have never done anything like this and you might not be comfortable with the changes such as sleeping in a tent, being away from mom and dad, different style showers/toilets, different food, getting dirty, etc. Remember it’s all a part of the experience… enjoy it.
· You are a Green Panther. Take some pride in that. You care about the environment... RIGHT? Therefore, don’t just say it; show it in your actions. Clean up after yourself. Pick up trash, clean your dishes, etc. The teacher should not have to remind you to clean the bus or anything else.
· No Mae-baans on the trip. You will have to take care of yourself and show some responsibility and independence. The teachers are there to help when you really need it, but try to do things for yourself first.
· Most trips are new and it is also new for the teacher, thus, we don’t always know what is happening next. Be patient. Sometimes the plan changes and we will inform you when we know. Do NOT keep asking the teacher the same old questions they don’t have the answers to; such as, when will we arrive? Why aren’t we there yet? Remember we want to enjoy the trip too and answering 100 unnecessary questions is NOT fun.

Thank you and please call me if you need any information.
085 837 6825
kerryd@isb.ac.th
Kerry Dyke

Student list

1. Justin Hathaway
2. Kira Reau
3. Julie De Meyere
4. Prairie Yooprasert
5. Alex Hill
6. Roni Bar
7. Liam Daly
8. Omer Bareket
9. Regina Durst
10. Kayla McEwen
11. Sarah Corning
12. Maya Ben-Yaacov
13. Ella Peled
14. Mark Huistra
15. Devon Lonigro
16. Angela Lutz
17. Claudia Lutz
18. Natalie Kang
19. JJ Erpaiboon
20. Katie Henderson
21. Cha Patra-Yanan
22. Andy Real
23. Raimy Shin
24. Brian Woo
25. Isabel Francisco
26. Eric Hsiao
27. Jayna Milan
28. Grace S

Itinerary

January, Friday 15,

14:00 Leave ISB for Kaeng Krachan Park
17:00 Arrive the park and camping

January, Saturday 16,

06:30 Get ready to go into THE PARK, 3 pickup trucks will come picking up the group
07:30 Have breakfast
8:30 Leave for the park
09:30 Arrive the park then set up the tents
10:30 Go hiking in Baan Grang Park
12:00 Have lunch ( lunch box)
13:00 Leave for where you are camping
15:00 Free time
16:30 Do some fun activities with the leader/s or tour guide/s from the park
18:00 Have dinner
19:00 Campfire
21:00 Go to bed

January, Sunday 17,

05:00 Get up to get ready
06:00 Bird and nature watching
07:00 Have breakfast
08:00 farewell.
09:00 Leave for the place that do rafting and biking

- Rafting

- Biking

- Tree planting

Villa Bans Plastic Bags

2009-12-04T11:40:00.003+07:00

Crossed linked at Mr. Dyke's Blog

I just had my second meeting with Villa and it was a good one. I found out that they have 18 Villas in Thailand and the smallest one is in Nichada Thani. However this Villa alone uses 500,000 bags per year.
They were very impressed by the # of people on Facebook supporting this cause and were encouraged to do more because of it.
They have not committed to charging for plastic bags. Instead, they went with the plan and have agreed to BAN all plastic bags at Villa (in Nichada). As well, they will do the same for Villa (in Phuket). This is a giant leap forward, as only a couple years ago it was hard to get anyone to consider this topic. If these two locations are successful, then naturally they would look to expand this to all 18 stores. They are even thinking of maybe having a battery return station at their stores and are looking to alternatives to foam. So Villa has made their commitment and many parts of the plan are already laid out. They will launch this either late January or sometime in February. They actually had a set date, but I couldn't make it... opps ; )

Where do you come in? This is the MOST IMPORTANT PART. All you need to do is... are you ready for it? You need to SHOP! That's it, however, it is absolutely crucial that we support this. When the day is chosen to launch, we MUST have as many supporters there as possible. We need to put our money where our mouth is. That means showing up and buying your groceries for the week. Show Thailand that going green is actually good for business and is a win-win situation. I plan on getting as much media coverage as possible, so if you have connections let me know. I have some already. This will be a major flop if only 80 people turn up. I am setting a target goal of 1000 people. Hopefully we can get more. If we make this a HUGE success with a HUGE turn out then the rest of Thailand will listen and it will make future projects more possible. Remember Villa is only project 1.

When the date is set I will send out an invitation and hopefully you can commit to it. It should be on a weekend.

Join up on Facebook. Over 900 people joined in 4 days!

Excellent videos also on the Facebook site about this topic

PS - keep spreading the word.
Step 1 - success!
Step 2 - up to you...

2009-12-03T10:04:00.001+07:00

Post is crossed referenced at Mr. Dyke's Blog

Students learn to recycle by collecting items at home and then earning a little money when we take this trip. They also learn about the neighborhood composting program that is a win-win for farmers and the community. All this is done on an eco friendly solar bus which Nichada kindly provides for us.

Bangkok Police Going Green?

2009-11-28T21:09:00.003+07:00

Over my 6 years in Thailand I have seen this country slowly become more green minded. From increase in tree planting, to shopping malls hosting green events and starting to consider reducing plastic bags, to more sky trains, and even having buses switching to natural gas fuel. But I was pleasantly surprised to find this video about the police department. 3 cheers for the cops!

Want to see Bangkok go even greener? Keep your eye on Carrotmob. Coming soon.

No More Bottled Water

2009-11-27T18:09:00.004+07:00

The HS Green Panthers selected one of their project this year to be trying to stop the sale of bottled water at ISB. We are in the beginning stages, but there is movement happening. There are many concerns and issues with the move, so it is not as simple as it might seem. We would need to supply more fountains around campus, we want to provide every student with a water bottle, and people need to be educated about this issue. These are only some of the main concerns.

We have narrowed it down to two bottles; Vapur, which is the anti-bottle and has some unique characteristics, such as rolling up when empty; and the Water Geek. Both are BPA free and have other qualities we are looking for.

Samples will be here soon. What would you want to use?

I know other schools out there have gotten rid of bottled water. Please send us any information you might have that can help us.

Pammy and the United Nations

2009-11-27T17:51:00.008+07:00

I'm a little late reporting this one, but back in September we took 10 ISB students (5 MS and 5 HS) to the U.N. building to help in a worldwide conference on Climate Change. It was called Seal the Deal and was hosted in Korea, but we were video conferenced in as were others from Brazil, Canada, South Africa, China, and more.

We were 10 amongst 1000's of youths collaboratively working together in real time around the world on a common cause. Together we helped form the proposal for Seal the Deal. This proposal will be taken to the Climate Change meeting in Denmark in December.

The last major meeting on this cause before the Copenhagen talks were held in Bangkok. We were honored to have our very own Green Panther, 'Pammy' selected as guest youth speaker for the United Nations. Congratulations Pammy!

Stuart Scott

2009-11-27T17:19:00.003+07:00

In October we were fortunate enough to have a visit and presentation by Stuart Scott about Climate Change. Stuart has been trained by Al Gore on the subject. He spoke with students from grade 5-12 and also met with the ToK class. Stuart is is Thailand to discuss this topic with as many influenced people as possible. A colleague of mine, Robin Bulsza, also wrote a class blog about this.

I would like to thank Stuart for giving us his time and sending the message of action loud and clear. Recently Stuart has been granted an audience with Pope Benedict. Let's hope something positive can come of it.

To find out more about Stuart and what he is doing go to Interfaith Declaration.

350 - Can ISB do it?

2009-08-06T18:20:00.005+07:00

On Oct 24th people from all around the world will mark this day with a 350 design. This is the safe number of Co2 we can have in our atmosphere. Watch this video(s) and think about if ISB should join.

Good News from the Cafeteria

2009-05-07T16:57:00.006+07:00

A while back the Q3 environmental class surveyed students to see how they felt about some possible environmental changes. Most of the results were encouraging, thus we followed up with a survey to the teachers/staff and then the parents. Again most results were encouraging. One of the changes was to switch to recycled/unbleached napkins. However, these napkins are more expensive and we asked people if they would donate money for this cause. More than 140 people said they would donate and I thank you all for your support, however the money is no longer needed. The cafeteria (Epicure) kindly agreed they would pick up the tab on this one since they believe in the cause and want to contribute to the environmental movement at ISB. We are also partnering up with a new business on this. You may have noticed the new smoothie stand at Villa called Twist. Well, their owner is also very aware of environmental issues and will have the same napkins.

It’s great to see other businesses getting on board and actively looking for solutions. Let’s give a big thanks to Cynthia U. from Epicure and Mike R. from Twist for making this happen. For the rest of us, let's make sure we do our part and listen to the message: Be part of the solution; take only what you need.

Saving Paper in the Library

2009-05-07T16:41:00.005+07:00

5 years ago ISB delivered a blue box to every classroom and office to collect waste paper for recycling. This still continues today and although it is good to recycle, it is much better to just use less paper in the first place and then reuse what you can. The library is now taking measures to make this happen.
According to Stephen Lehmann the print/copy numbers at ISB has reduced 5% even though student numbers increased during that time. Mr. Lehmann also states that “Now in the MS/HS library students use their card to make photocopies and the money is deducted from their campus card account. For printing, if it color the student is charged to their card. If is black and white printing there is no charge but there is a monthly limit of 100 copies. When printing color or black and white the student has to go to the printer and release the job.” Doing this ensures the print jobs are always picked up. At the end of the day, any jobs that were printed and were not picked up are canceled.
According to some library staff, the amount of wasted paper before just piled up each day without being picked up and since these new measures have come in, there is little to no waste. Thus, the measures have not stopped students from printing when needed, but has reduced the amount of careless and unnecessary printing. In other words, they have to be more responsible and less wasteful.

Finalists for the Eco Bag Eco-mmercial

2009-05-05T23:09:00.005+07:00

Central Shopping Centers are trying to reduce plastic bag use. ISB held a video contest to support this cause. The winner will win a 5000 baht gift voucher for the shopping center and have their video played at Central Chidlom for a month!

Here are the finalists. Which one would you pick?

Thanks to all those who entered the contest and especially Jacob J. and David S. for making the finals.

300 Trees Planted and a Trip to the Eco Center

2009-05-05T22:36:00.009+07:00

On May 2nd, 2009, 60+ ISB students went to Sirindhorn International Environmental Park and planted 300 trees. We also had some time at the beach and checked out the environmental center.

30 Percent Greener

2009-05-01T08:26:00.002+07:00

By Bill Gerritz

Many students, staff and parents have been working to make ISB a more environmentally friendly, greener school. Much of this work has been done by our Green Panthers. Recently, three additional efforts have also achieved success.

#1 --- We have signed a contract to renew the air conditioning and lighting systems in the school. The result will be a reduction in CO2 emissions of 850,000 Kg per year or about 30% of the total amount of CO2 produced at School. In a significant side benefit, the new air conditioners will be very quiet, a big deal for students and staff bothered by our noisy old ones.

The contract represents a four way partnership between ISB, Clinton Climate Initiative, Johnson Control and the Thai Ministry of Energy. The combination of low interest loans from the Ministry and energy savings will give us a payback period of about 7.5 years. All work will be completed by the end of July.

#2 ---Construction of our new Cultural Center proceeds in accordance to plan and we are on course with our target of achieving the LEED Gold Certificate (from the U.S. Green Building Council). Energy models of our building in comparison with standard U.S. buildings confirm that our building will be a minimum of 29% more energy efficient. Needless to say that if our new building was to be compared with standard buildings in Bangkok the saving percentage would be much higher

#3 --- Last year we added about 144 bike parking places as an extension to the main entrance parking. In an attempt to encourage more students, teachers and parents who live in the vicinity of the school to use their bike as a means of transportation, and in order to resolve the congestion in the Elementary bike parking area, we’ll extend the bike parking capacity during the summer with a construction similar to the one done last summer on the other side. Our total bike parking capacity will go from 427 places 2 years ago and 571 places this year to 715 places by the beginning of August 2009.

Earth week is over

2009-04-24T14:03:00.002+07:00

Thank you all for participating in Earth Week each day. There are many tickets in the raffle giving you a chance to win prizes.

300 Trees to Plant

2009-04-24T13:30:00.005+07:00

NOTICE – Departure time has changed to 8:00 am

Plan
Depart from ISB 08:00 am
Arrive at beach: 11:00
Lunch at beach: 12:00/12:30
Presentation and

conservation center: 12:30

Tree planting: 14:30
Return: 16:00/16:30

Arrival at ISB: 19:30

We have over 60 people signed up to go. The trip is now closed

What you will need:

Sun cream and hat
Clothes to swim and clothes to get wet and dirty.
3 pairs of old socks. You cannot wear shoes in the mud because they will come off. Socks are to protect your feet. Trust me on this one, you want the socks!
Spending money. We will cover the cost of the bus, trees, and equipment, but you will need to cover the cost of food (at a restaurant) and their might be a 30 baht beach charge.
Reusable water bottle – you will get thirsty.
Camera
Phone (in case we are coming back earlier or later)

Since this in an environmental trip, please keep that in mind and try to reduce your trash as much as possible. We will purposely NOT bring a trash bag. So anything you bring with you will also leave with you (Pack it in – Pack it out!)

Special thanks to HS student Howard Zhang for making this project happen.

Ban Plastic Bags in Thailand

2009-04-24T12:59:00.004+07:00

It's becoming more and more obvious that banning plastics bags around the world is a good thing. We have started a list on Facebook to see if we can get 10,000 people to say 'Ban plastic bags in Thailand'.

Cutting back on plastic bags

BANGKOK: -- On the occasion of Earth Day yesterday, the Natural Resource and Environment Ministry launched a campaign to cut plastic-bag consumption in the country by at least 10 per cent. Currently, Thais dispose of 1,800 tonnes of used plastic bags every day.

"We are focusing on plastic bags because they pose a serious threat to the environment," Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti said. "If plastic-bag consumption is successfully reduced, carbon dioxide emissions will also drop."

Plastic does not compose on its own and with more than 40,000 tonnes of garbage collected every day, transportation to disposal facilities or landfills also gets expensive.

Suwit hopes the public will co-operate in the campaign, which runs until June 5.

"Plastic bags are a part of people's every day life, and they can make a difference right away," Suwit said.

The campaign has won participation from many businesses, including Foodlands, Villa Market, The Mall, Jusco, Siam Makro, Siam Paragon, Siam Centre, Carrefour, 7-Eleven, Robinson and Big C.

Suwit said his ministry was also planning to manufacture bio-plastic bags that can decompose naturally.

"Although bio-plastic bags cost more to produce, the government might introduce tax measures to help," he said, adding that the government was also adopting many measures to reduce global warming.

"We plan to reduce petrol consumption, increase green areas and introduce carbon labels," he said.

-- The Nation 2009-04-23

ISB 'really' goes green!

2009-04-24T12:46:00.004+07:00

For 3-4 years now ISB has been improving environmentally by initiating projects to increase environmental awareness and action at school. We have made many little changes that have contributed to the goal. However, there was there was something missing. No matter how many little changes we made the school building itself was still very much an energy hog. That is all about to change. ISB will retrofit the building with energy efficient products. See the letter below that came from the ISB administration. On behalf of the Green Panthers I would like to thank the school for taking this action.

ISB GREEN NEWS:
An Update on Our Efforts to Become a Greener School

1. CHANGE of LIGHTING and AIR-CO Equipment

Last year around this time we formed a partnership with an Energy Saving Company (Johnson Control, JC) and the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) to work together on a possible retrofitting of our buildings. As a first step we conducted an Energy Audit, with the goal of getting a thorough and detailed understanding of our energy consumption and to formulate recommendations for improvement.

After many months spent in reviewing and re-checking the audit results, choosing and testing the applicable products and negotiating contracts and prices, we have finally concluded 2 agreements last week, which will allow us to reduce CO2 emissions by 850,000 Kg per year (this is about 30% of the total amount of CO2 produced at School)

We’ll increase quality of life and comfort. We’ll reduce the negative effects of CO2 on the planet. Last, but not least, we’ll save money in the long run.

With a net investment of about 37 Million Baht, we estimate to save about 5 Million Baht a year. This means that the investment is paid back in about 7.5 years. The majority of the funds for this investment are loaned via a program sponsored by the Thai Ministry of Energy at interest rates substantially lower than market rates.

Except for the units installed during the building renovations of the last 2 years, we’ll replace all of the old, so-called split type units (the ones hanging below the ceilings in the classrooms) with 645 new energy efficient, modern, substantially more quiet , wall mounted units. If you would like to see them in action, please go to the Elementary School (room 113 Scott O’Neill’s Spanish classroom).

We’ll also change all of the 23 large central units (Offices, Chevron Theater, Rajendra Hall, Main Library etc) with new high efficiency units.

As part of the agreement with JC and CCI we will also change the lighting in the Main Library, for the main purpose of increasing the Lux level.

Another Company (Econo-Watd, Thai Energy Conservation Co.) will change all of the lights in the classrooms and corridors from old so-called T8 technology to the new energy efficient T5 technology.

Street lights, sport hall lights, sport field lights will not be changed at this time, since they are still reasonably efficient and the savings from replacement related to the needed investment do not make environmental-financial sense.

TIMING: the change of the lighting will start in a few weeks, while the change of the air-co will be done during the summer. The agreed deadline to have all of the work completed is July 31, 2009, so that we can be fully operational at the beginning of the school year 2009/10.

All of the planning is directed toward an as low as possible disruption of daily learning and working routines.

2. CULTURAL CENTER

The construction proceeds in accordance to plan and we are on course with our target of achieving the LEED Gold Certificate (from the US Green Building Council). Energy models of our building in comparison with standard US buildings confirm that our building is a minimum of 29% more energy efficient. Needless to say that if our new building was to be compared with standard buildings in Bangkok the saving percentage would be much higher.

3. ADDITIONAL BIKE PARKING

Last year we added about 144 bike parking places as an extension to the main entrance parking. This addition, although not crowded, proves that there has been a constant increase of bike use to get to school.

In an attempt to encourage more students, teachers and parents who live in the vicinity of the school to use their bike as means of transportation and in order to resolve the congestion in the Elementary bike parking area, we’ll extend during the summer the bike parking capacity with a construction similar to the one done last summer on the other side.

So our total bike parking capacity will go from 427 places 2 years ago and 571 this year to 715 by the beginning of August 2009.

What a month!!

2009-04-09T00:53:00.005+07:00

Why has April been a good month for the environment at ISB?

Well, April 22 is Earth Day all over the world and plenty of people will do something for the planet. However, a lot will happen at ISB this week.

We have a month long 'Power Down' event to save energy at school.
April 20-24th we will celebrate Earth Week with several events
ISB will install a 48 inch, energy efficient flat screen TV in the cafeteria to display photos, videos, and events about ISB students taking action for several global issues, such as poverty, environment, and education for all.
We are planning a tree planting trip to offset carbon emissions from our school flights. Ok, this is actually on May 2, but you get the point.
Biggest News... ISB is taking major steps to reduce its energy usage. The school has just announced in will retrofit the building to change to more efficient lights and air con.

In a statment from the director, ISB will

"reduce CO2 emissions by 850,000 Kg per year

(this is about 30% of the total amount of CO2 produced at School)

We’ll increase quality of life and comfort. We’ll reduce the negative effects of CO2 on the planet. Last, but not least, we’ll save money in the long run. With a net investment of about 37 Million Baht, we estimate to save about 5 Million Baht a year. This means that the investment is paid back in about 7.5 years."

This is exciting news and reason to celebrate.

Earth Week 2009

2009-04-09T00:00:00.008+07:00

Earth Week is coming! This year we have scaled it back and simplified the activities due to some unforeseen events. However, it will still be interactive and effective. We have prizes to be won from a raffle and the only way to get tickets for the raffle is to participate. Each time you participate you get a ticket, thus, the more you participate, the more you increase your chances of winning.

Events 1-6 will occur each day during Earth Week (April 20-24)

1. Burn Calories; Not Oil

a. Walk, ride bike or take any way to school that does not burn oil.

b. We will have people waiting at all 3 gates. See them to get your ticket.

2. BYOB – Bring Your Own Bottle (water bottle that is).

a. Bring your own reusable water bottle each day. Come to the Green Panthers table set up in the cafeteria. Show us the bottle and get a ticket. Use a Green Panther water bottle and get two tickets.

3. Food For Thought:

a. Eat only vegetarian or organic food each day and get a ticket.

4. Buy a Tree

a. Each tree cost 40 baht. Green Panthers and others will plant trees on May 2^nd in a location 3 hours south of Bangkok.

b. Each tree you buy is worth 2 tickets.

c. Sign up to join us too if you want.

5. Prove it to the planet

a. Take our list of things to try at home to help the planet. Prove to us that you did it and get a ticket. List will be on our table in the cafeteria during Earth Week.

b. Maybe you can prove it by taking a picture or video with your phone or camera. Please don’t print. Remember it has to be proof.

6. Super Shopper

a. Show us what you buy. If the products are eco friendly get a ticket. For example;

b. Shampoo that is not tested on animals, pencil made from recycled paper, solar charger for phone, organic products, phosphate free laundry detergent, non-toxic cleaning product; eco friendly paper, bring it all in a reusable eco bag and wear an organic shirt.

Reuse – Items to be donated to charity. (Tuesday, April 21^st)

o Look through all that ‘junk’, see what you don’t need that might be more useful to someone else. Donate it to a charity.

o Sections will be set up in front near school drop off point for easy off loading.

§ Clothes

§ Toys

§ Books

§ Games

§ Sports equipment

o Note – You can actually donate all week, but we will only be there to give tickets on Tuesday.

Recycle – Wednesday April 22^nd only (Earth Day).

o Bring in items to recycle. 1 ticket per bundle of items. 10 tickets maximum.

o Recycling bins will be brought to front of school near main office.

§ Plastic bottles (no glass)

§ Cans

§ Aluminum tabs

§ Newspapers

§ Magazines

§ Batteries

§ Tetra Pak (Juice boxes). Yes, we are recycling these again.

§ Printer cartridges

§ Cell phones and cell phone batteries

Eco Bag Eco-mmercial

Video about the harmful effects of plastic bags. It should promote using Central eco bags instead of plastic bags.
a. All entries will receive 1 ticket.
b. Winner will receive 5 tickets, plus win 5000 baht gift voucher at Central.
c. Video will play at Central Chaengwattana for 1 month.
d. Contest details required by Central so follow closely:

Video must be 60 seconds or less.
Must show Central logo at some point.
Must promote the Central eco bag. (This bag can also be used as a savings card)
More details on http://green-panthers.blogspot.com/

e. Videos due to Mr. Dyke by April 20th. Winner picked on 22nd.

Power Down... Money Up

2009-04-08T23:48:00.004+07:00

Students can earn money and help the planet.

a. All over the school we want you to ‘Power Down’ and save energy. This doesn’t mean learning in the dark; it simply means not being wasteful and save where appropriate.

Use the windows for most of your light.
Use AC as much as needed; but not more. And make sure door is closed.
Don’t leave computers, AC, and lights on when no one is using it.

b. Electricity bill of April 2008 (approx. 1,300,000 baht) will be compared with April 2009.

c. All the money (electricity) you save in April 2009 will be used for the Power Down grand prize. Therefore, the more electricity you save the more money there is to be won.

d. Groups can enter a charity, school club, or worthy cause into the grand prize contest. The winners will be drawn out of a hat. If that group is picked the money will go towards their cause. Group examples:

Charity – WWF, Elephant Nature Park, Operation Smile.
School club – Dance team, GIN, Helping Paws, Green Panthers, etc.
Cause – Any worthy cause you can think of, such as money for school project.

e. All groups MUST register with Ms. Tananone in Activities Office before April 22.

Eco Survey for Change at ISB

2009-03-22T19:20:00.005+07:00

We are looking at some things we can make more environmentally friendly at ISB. We need you to let us know if you want these changes or not.

Click Here to take survey

Earth Hour - Will you vote?

2009-03-17T00:15:00.004+07:00

MARCH 28th you can make a stand. EARTH HOUR: Turn off your electricity for 1 hour from 8:30pm - 9:30pm.

Will you vote for the earth this year? Let us know if you will participate by leaving a comment.

The lost eco-mmercial

2009-03-16T23:22:00.005+07:00

MS students Zach and Matt made this excellent eco-mmercial for the original contest. This video got second place and was very close to winning. However, it could not be uploaded until now. So enjoy this powerful message.

Don't forget to enter in the new eco-mmercial contest with Central. Details are here.

You Vote on Possible Changes

2009-03-03T14:42:00.009+07:00

The students in the Environmental Stewardship class are looking at making a few more environmental improvements at ISB. Some of these changes also include healthier food choices and less animal cruelty. However, each change will come at a cost. Relax, we will not force any of this upon you. First, we will educate about the benefits of each and let you take a survey. If more than 50% of the people are against it, it will be dropped. If 50% or more are for it we will take it to another level, but nothing will be rushed.

Some of the changes we are looking at are:

switch to free ranged, organic eggs (not raised in cages)
switch to organic rice
switch to unbleached, recycled napkins

Stay tuned for more info later. Meanwhile feel free to watch some of these videos to learn more.

Meet your Meat (warning - this is not easy to watch. Plus they are asking everyone to be vegetarian; which is not our goal. Nevertheless, it shows the animal cruelty taking place on many factory farms. If you are sensitive I would recommend looking at the videos below instead).
Store wars - amusing 'Star Wars' animation about organic food.
The Meatrix - amusing 'Matrix' animation about animal cruelty. You can also see Meatrix 2 and 2.5

The video below is only part 1 of Meet Your Meat. click the above link to see cruelty to pigs, cows, etc. Again, only view it if you think you can watch it.

Google Power Meter.

2009-02-24T15:16:00.013+07:00

Google has a device that I think millions of people will use in the near future. You can have a sneak peak now. They have come up with a power meter that is used with your computer to tell you how much energy you are using in your house, when it is being used and what is doing it. You can actually see what is the most wasteful and costing you money. Check out their 1 minute video be clicking Google Power Meter.

Eco-mmercial contest # 2 - Plastic Bags!

2009-02-24T12:38:00.016+07:00

I'm not here to promote Central over other shopping centers since I like to work on projects with all of them, but I do have something cool to tell you. For a while now I have been trying to contact businesses to look into reducing plastic bag use around Thailand. Perhaps, even taking a European approach and charging for the bags. Central has responded and we met last week. Don't worry there are no current plans to charge you for a bag, but they have a plan to reduce bags by at least 25% in the next 2 years. The Green Panthers will work with them on some areas. For example, the first step is to have Eco-mmercial contest # 2. However, this time all the videos should focus on plastic bags. We know plastic bags are terrible for the environment, there are solutions, and your video should prepare customers to make a lifestyle change and not use plastic bags.

The point of the commercial is to convince people to use less plastic bags, and in particular to purchase one of the eco bags that Central sells for 60 baht. This bag can be used as a points card. The bag has a bar code and every time you use it you get points. How cool is that!

CONTEST DETAILS:

Video length must be 60 seconds or less. This will be strictly enforced and any videos longer than this time will not be eligible to win.
Video can be done in English and/or Thai.
At some point in the video it must have the Central logo and it must show the Central eco bag (I think any winning video would have this in it anyway)
The winning video will get a 5000 baht gift voucher and have their videos shown at Central Changwattana every hour.
All videos can be turned in to Mr. Dyke (PE office) or Ms. Tananone (activities office).
Deadline for submission is April 22nd (Earth Day), 2009.

If interested, please send an email to kerryd@isb.ac.th to let me know who you are.

This video from You tube and this website might get you started, but don't copy it. Remember to follow the guidelines above.

9th Annual Bangkok Ultimate Frisbee Tournament Goes 'Green'.

2009-02-24T12:04:00.007+07:00

On Feb 21-22 260 players came to Bangkok to play in the very popular Ultimate Frisbee tournament. The event is always fun and exciting and a great way to meet new friends. However, in past years the amount of trash it created was disgusting. This year it went green and the Green Panthers were there to make sure of it. Some of the changes were to not supply bottles of water, but have large containers and you can refill your own reusable bottle. It also had recycling bins to separate the waste, but most importantly we severely reduced the amount of disposable plates and cups. We usually go through about 3000 plus disposable plastic cups and about 1000+ plates. This time everyone paid the Green Panther students 100 baht as a deposit for the dishes and when returned they got 80 baht back. The system accomplished its goal and I would guess waste was reduced by about 95%. I would like to thank Natalie, Jayna, Cha, Katie, Ina, Howard, Alisa and Leon for volunteering your time over the weekend to make this work.

Bang Pu Eco Trip

2009-02-24T09:28:00.007+07:00

On Feb 13-14 ISB MS students went to Bang Pu in the province of Samut Prakan, just an hour south of Bangkok. Here we worked with WWF to help restore the bird sanctuary and plant a mangrove forest. The students did scientific research and learned a lot about this valuable ecosystem. The place is home to 100's of species of birds and for many it was their first time seeing a mudskipper! Click here to see all the photos.

At the end of the trip 5 eco all-star awards were given. All of the students were great, but this was for those who went above and beyond the call of duty. The winners were Raimy, Katie, Tay, Win, and a student that has been on every eco trip in the MS, Ton-Leow.

ISB HS students stand up for the environment

2009-02-19T01:43:00.004+07:00

High school students joined in the eco-fair as well at the BCCT. These students focused on waste reduction at ISB and highlighted things done in the past such as, reducing plastic bags from 300 to zero, switching to reusable dishes, using eco bags and reusable bottles.

This group is currently on 3 projects:

Reducing energy at school
Using reusable water bottles
Planting trees to offset flights taken by our student groups.

Keep up the good work!

ISB MS students speak out

2009-02-19T01:24:00.005+07:00

At the start of the school year several ISB students along with other international schools of Bangkok went to an event held by the British Chamber of Commerce Thailand. Here the MS Green Panthers spoke about the benefits (environmental, health, and animal rights) of organic food. 4 students presented to an audience of other students and business men and women. Afterwards all who attended could come to our booth to try our blind taste test comparing organic milk and apples to non-organic milk and apples. The organic apples won by a landslide and the milk was closer, but the organic milk still came out on top.

Local Recycling Center Visit

2009-02-19T01:01:00.006+07:00

I teach Environmental Stewardship 4 times a year and each class takes a trip to the local recycling center. They also have to take their own items to recycle. The kids get to keep the money they earn too. To stick with the 'green' side, we travel there by the neighborhood solar bus and we visit a village compost center too.

New Recycling Bins

2009-02-19T00:40:00.003+07:00

Recently we have been receiving a lot of batteries to recycle. Our small containers could not handle the load, so our school staff painted this very eye pleasing recycling container for us.

Keep bringing in those items to recycle.

We no longer take juice boxes, but we still take:

Newspapers
Batteries
bottles/can
Ink jet cartridges
cell phones & their batteries
aluminum tabs (for artificial limbs)

Eco-mmercial Contest with TRUE Vision

2009-02-02T17:27:00.014+07:00

For a few months now the Green Panthers have hosted an eco-mmercial contest. The idea was to have students make a short video about any environmental topic. There were 26 entries and the final winner was Jori T, a senior at ISB. Her video, "Would you leave your trash here?" was about making choices. Jori received 5000 baht from the Green Panthers and then Jori and I went to the TRUE studios to film a TV show about the contest and Green Panthers. I would like to thank TRUE Vision for allowing us to show the video and go on television. You can see some of the videos right here on this site, but to see more go to Youtube and type in isb green panthers.

Other videos include:

5 steps to make Bangkok Green

Reuse bags and bottles

Help the Planet

2nd grade eco all-star

Plastic bag s

Ice Melting

Waterbottles

A planet for living

Impact of bottles

It's ok to hug a tree

Trash

Climate Change Visualizations in Google Earth

2008-05-29T14:28:00.002+07:00

If you don't have Google Earth installed on your computer you should! Not only will you spend hours finding your home and other places you've been, but you will open a world of technological tools that helps visualize all kinds of things. Everything from the journeys of Odysseus to oil consumption graphs of every country super-imposed on the globe.

If you need to install it, click here.

Once you are a Google Earth user, keep up with new features and layers at this Google Earth blog. It's awesome.

In fact, from them, the Green Panthers would like to share with you a couple great visualizations of Climate Change using Google Earth. Here's their original post.

Download and run the two Google Earth files - one from the UK's Met Office and the other from the British Antartic Survey. You'll be impressed. Open the menus and you get specific stories about parts of the world and what they are going through as a result of climate change.

An example:

Over the next few decades cereal production in China is expected to hold up well, with a longer growing season in northern areas and the fertilising effect of elevated levels of CO2.But without improvements in agricultural technology, cereal production is predicted to decline over the second half of this century.

Here's just a screenshot of our side of the world and temperature change.

ISB Students unveil Eco-mmercials

2008-04-07T11:27:00.000+07:00

ISB students in preparation for Earth Week coming up have made Eco-mmercials.

Check them out:

ISB ECO CHALLENGE

2008-03-24T21:11:00.009+07:00

K-12 ECO CHALLENGE!!

Starting April 1st and going on until the end of Earth Week (April 25th) is the K-12 ECO CHALLENGE.
Each grade is competing within their school ( i.e. - 6, 7, & 8 competing in MS).
There are points for participating (P4P) and points for winning events.
Grade level with the most points will win the challenge and prizes (yet to be determined).
Individual with most points for the whole school will also win a prize (yet to be determined).
For more info on this go to isb-green-panthers.blogspot.com
First 4 challenges start April 1st. Beware of deadlines!

Prizes!

Prizes keep coming in but here's what we have so far:

• 2 free nights at an eco-tourism resort in Thailand
• A gift voucher worth 10000 baht
• Biodegradable eco bags
• Pencils made from recycled newspapers
• Eco stickers
• More to come…

EVENTS

April 1 - 9 Veggie recipes
P4P = 5
Winners = 25

Students enter veggie recipes before Earth Week.
Box placed in cafeteria to put in the recipes or email to kerryd@isb.ac.th
The 10 chosen entries earn 25 points each and free lunch for that student when we have “VEGGIE DAY” on Tuesday April 22.
Winners announced on Tuesday, April 22.
Deadline for entering recipes is April 9.

April 1 - 23 Eco survey
P4P = 5

Online Eco survey for you and your family to do.
isb-green-panthers.blogspot.com
Each legitimate entry is 5 points for you and your grade level.
Participation is the best way to get the most points. The more people you can get to participate the better you will do.

Click here to complete the survey.

April 1 - 23 Create a special day

P4P = 5
Winners = 25

Students can design their own special day. Think of a cause you believe in and design your special day around it. You have to state:
The name of the day
What it represents
What would we have to do on that day
Why are we doing it and how does it help?

Examples
Buy Nothing Day – reminds us of how we consume too much and ask us to go one day without buying anything.
No meat day – To show the impact eating meat has on the environment, our health, and animal rights. For one day we have only veggies on the menu.
Earth hour - reminds us to conserve energy by everyone turning off the lights for 1 hour at the same time.

You get the picture. Be creative and make up your own special day
Winners will have their Special Day put into next year’s ISB school calendar!!

April 21-25 Nokia Recycling Contest
P4P = 5
Winner = 25
Nokia has a mobile phone recycling program so they can collect all the nasty stuff inside a phone and do the right thing with it.
They also make eco phones!
Bring in your old phone (any brand) you no longer use to be recycled for 5 points.
If you have the oldest phone in the contest you will win a brand new Nokia Eco phone!

Monday, April 21 Motor-less Monday

P4P = 5
Students coming to school without a motor will get a sticker and 5 points
"Burn calories; not fossils. Ride your bike!"

Tuesday, April 22 Veggie Tuesday

P4P = 5
Winners = 25
Students entered veggie recipes before Earth Week.
Each entry is 5 points.
The 10 chosen entries earn 25 points each and free lunch for that student.

Tuesday, April 22 Race to Recycle

P4P = 1/item
Bring in as much stuff as you can to recycle. You get 1 point per item.
Items can only be:
cans (crushed please),
plastic bottles,
batteries,
plastic bags,
newspapers,
printer cartridges

Wednesday, April 23 Water Bottle Wednesday

P4P = 5
Students coming to school with ‘real’ reusable water bottle will get a sticker and 5 points for grade.
Also get 5 baht off any drink in main cafeteria!
‘Re-Think, Re-fill, Re-Drink, I will!’

Wednesday, April 23 Wall of Commitment

P4P = 5
Students have to honestly commit to 3 things they will do for the next month to help the environment. Cut out paper hand and write 3 things on it and stick it on the wall.

Thursday, April 24 Keen to be GREEN

P4P = 5
Winners = 25
How green you can be?
Wear a GP shirt, or go all out with a green get up.
Water bottle and eco bag are good accessories.
Make a dress out of recycled materials, or dress to send an eco message.
We will pick 3 best dressed.

Thursday, April 24 Concert 4 Climate Change

P4P = 100/class
P4P = 5 / person
Any class/group can participate by making a display, skit, poem, video, art work, dance, song, or use some other creative idea to get the eco message across.
It can be about any eco topic (an animal, global warming, saving water, organic food, turning off the power, etc)

Friday, April 25 Earth Fair

Guest speakers:
1. Bill Clinton Foundation
2. Tesco Lotus
3. Elephant Sanctuary

30 companies and NGO’s will participate to show what they are doing for the earth. There will be a lot of eco products such as solar water heaters, hybrid cars, reflective cooling paint, school supplies made from recycled newspapers, and more.

NGO’s will show what their program is all about and encourage kids to join!

We will have hands on activities for everyone to enjoy.

The Most Terrifying Video You Will Ever See

2008-02-27T07:03:00.004+07:00

Well, it might not be the most terrifying but it certainly does a good job explaining the climate change issues we all face.

Check out this video on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zORv8wwiadQ.

An alternative link is:http://green.yahoo.com/blog/ecogeek/244/high-school-teacher-spreads-the-word-on-climate-change.html.

What may be the scariest thing about the youtube post is the comments. For anyone who thinks that 'consensus' on climate change has been achieved, there is obviously a lot of education left to be done.

ISB EARTH AWARD

2008-02-12T11:52:00.000+07:00

The time is approaching for the ISB Earth Award. The award is intended to raise awareness for the environmental issues we face as a society and to inspire students to fight for change. Students from all grade levels are invited to participate. Projects can be individual or collaborative. Past successful projects have incorporated research, action, surveys, or all of the above.

Three prizes in each section (high school, middle school and elementary) will be awarded. First prize recipients receive 5000 baht, second place 2000 and third place 1000. Everyone is encouraged to participate.

For information, please visit: http://www.isb.ac.th/Earth_Award. There you will find registration forms, ideas for projects and resources for making your project successful.

Tree Planting

2008-02-12T11:46:00.000+07:00

The Green Panther community has been raising money recently to purchase trees for planting and a nursery. The joint fundraising efforts of the elementary and middle school green panthers have raised enough money to plant several dozen trees here at ISB. The nursery will allow the Green Panthers to have a ready stock of seedlings for future plantings here and around Bangkok.

Trees have already been planted in the ISB parking lot and near the track. Tree planting will continue as a collaborative project between older and younger students as well as faculty and parents.

Collaboration is a beautiful thing, especially when it is so green.

What do the Oscars, the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and the ISB International Food Fair have in common?

2007-11-14T10:15:00.000+07:00

They all went green!
We may not be as big as the Olympics, but the IFF is making efforts to reduce its eco footprint. How? Well, we hope to have NO disposables if possible. IFF will use the Green Panthers dishes instead of disposable ones to reduce waste and we will have recycling bins for cans and bottles.

What else makes this event green?

The Green Panthers will be there with adult and student members helping out in many areas.
• We will have tables to collect the used dishes. This year there is no deposit, but please return your dishes anyway to help us out. Remember they are not gifts and cannot be taken away.
• We will have Eco-games with cool prizes.
• We will perform some funny, but informative skits.
• We will sell 3 new versions of Green Panther organic t-shirts. Yes, we have small sizes this year!
• We might even have organic rice, milk, and yogurt and more!

If you would like to help us by volunteering please contact Kerry at kerryd@isb.ac.th

How can you make this event even greener?

• Try to use only one plate at the IFF. This will reduce how often we have to wash the dishes and reduce the quantity of water and detergent used for the event.

• Bring your own Tupperware in case you want to take some food home with you.

• Think about how you are getting to this event. Would it be possible to pick up a neighbor and go together in 1 vehicle instead of 2? This would cut down on traffic and carbon emissions.

The Scoop on Organic Dairy Products at ISB

2007-11-13T15:00:00.000+07:00

MANY people have been asking for additional details on the organic dairy products now available at ISB. Here is the low-down.

The farm is called Dairy Home and the website is: www.dairyhome.co.th. The site is primarily in Thai but we are in Thailand. We can all find a friend to help us figure it out, right? The owner's name is Khun Pruitti Kerdchoochuen and he can be reached at pruitti@gmail.com.

Aside from ISB, Dairy Home's organic products are available at Villa and Foodland. All animals on the farm receive an organic diet and the farm also follows free range practices (i.e. they are not kept in pens all day. There is no clear certification program in Thailand for organic farmers, so Khun Pruitti follows the guidelines of European and North American regulatory agencies.

The dairy also has a store on the farm itself if you ever want to visit and check it out.

All those appliances you think you turned OFF

2007-11-13T14:57:00.000+07:00

Getting savvy about standby power
By Noah Buhayar, Fellow, Rocky Mountain Institute (www.rmi.org) | Posted Fri Nov 2, 2007 2:47pm PDT

Ever wonder how much electricity your household appliances use when they're supposedly off—in "standby" or "ready" mode? Think of the clock on your microwave, your DVD player that's on but not playing a movie, or the little sensor on the bottom of your TV that waits for a signal from your remote control.
It turns out that these "vampire" loads are gradually sucking away power—a lot of power.
An estimated 13 percent of household electricity use, according to a recent study published by the California Energy Commission, is from appliances in low-power mode (which is to say, not performing any of their primary functions).
Standby mode, the least amount of energy an appliance can use without powering down, is just one example. Many appliances have multiple low-power modes.
A DVD player, for instance, may have both a standby and sleep mode. Computers, as well, often save power by shutting down one or more components without turning completely off.
What it costs
The costs of these low-power modes are enormous. Standby power alone accounts for 5 of that 13 percent of household electricity use.
In 2000, a group of researchers from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory estimated that each year Americans spend about $4 billion just on standby power.
Generating that electricity puts roughly 27 million tons of CO2-equivalent emissions into the atmosphere (more than 3.7 million cars' worth) every year.
While the amount of low-power mode energy required by most new appliances is going down, the number of appliances (from washing machines to air conditioners) with continual power needs is increasing—eclipsing those savings. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that standby power could consume as much as 20 percent of household electricity by 2010.

Royal Photography Contest

2007-11-03T08:27:00.000+07:00

Under the patronage of His Majesty the King of Thailand, Greenpeace Southeast Asia and the Royal Photographic Society of Thailand are sponsoring "Endangered Water, Endangered Lives," a photo contest intended to bring people together to celebrate and protect our important freshwater sources. Thailand, though blessed with large fresh water resources, faces many threats to its rivers and lakes. Photography provides a powerful medium to raise awareness of urgent need to protect one of Thailand's most precious resources.

About the photo contest.

Under the title “Endangered Water, Endangered Lives”, the photographs must feature freshwater and freshwater sources in Thailand, taken from January 1, 2007 to November 31, 2007. Examples are lakes, rivers, streams, springs, tap water, etc. Photos should convey how freshwater is important to people / the environment (‘celebrating water’), or how clean water is being threatened by sources of pollution (‘water at threat’). Marine water (seas, oceans) are not considered.

Submission of entries: September 21 to November 31, 2007

Target Groups
1. Photographers
2. Thai Youths
3. General Public
4. All these categories mean ISB STUDENTS!!

For full details about the contest, please go to http://www.greenpeace.org/seasia/th/1171018/1371388/the-first-environmental-prob

Greenquest -Featured Site

2007-11-03T07:55:00.000+07:00

Take some time to check out Greenquest. This British site features new developments in sustainable business and farming practices. Most importantly it includes tips on what each of us can do to reduce our impacts on the environment. There are sections, amongst many others, for teachers, business people, students, families and gardeners. There is even a specific section on THAILAND and the many positive changes that have occurred here over the past few years.

As all of us know, the journey out of the environmental mess we are in is one of small steps. Greenquest provides many ideas about how to start.

Check out the site: http://www.greenquest.co.uk/. Contact Greenquest directly if you have information to share or questions by emailing admin@greenquest.co.uk.

Bobby's Introduces Organic Dairy Products

2007-11-02T10:45:00.001+07:00

This week Bobby's, the Middle and High School cafeteria began offering organic dairy products for the first time. This first for ISB is the result of a lot of hard work and planning to ensure quality, safe products.

As you probably know (but we'll summarize anyway), organic dairy products come from cow that have not received hormones, antibiotics or genetically modified food. All of the former are used to maximize milk production but have side-effects on animal health. Traces are also frequently found in the dairy products humans consume and thereby impact the health and well-being of consumers. Organic ensures you get milk, not milk with hormones and prescription antibiotics.

This step not only helps ISB students and faculty, but it also gives a boost to the production of organic dairy foods in Thailand. This is currently a small market and an outlet like ISB encourages other farmers to switch to sustainable methods of production.

Thanks to Bobby and all the people who worked to make this happen.

TOP 12 REASONS TO GO ORGANIC

1. It's healthy. Organic food tends to contain higher levels of vitamin C, cancer-fighting antioxidants, and essential minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron and chromium. It is safe, nutritious, unadulterated food.
2. Organic food doesn't contain food additives that can cause health problems such as heart disease, osteoporosis,migraines and hyperactivity.
3. 3. It avoids pesticides. More than 400 chemical pesticides are routinely used in conventional farming and residues are often present in non-organic food.
4. It is environmentally friendly and doesn’t pollute our fresh water with runoff from pesticides.
5. It is produced without GMOs or drugs to the animals
6. It is against animal cruelty. Animals live on fields not in cages.
7. It is produced without antibiotics and growth-promoting drugs
8. It reduces dependence on non-renewable resources
9. There has not been a case of BSE (Mad Cow Disease) in any herd that has been in full organic management since before 1985.
10.It relies on a modern and scientific understanding of ecology and soil science, while also depending on traditional methods of crop rotations to ensure fertility and weed and pest control
11.It's good for wildlife and the environment. Organic farming is better for wildlife, causes lower pollution from sprays, produces less carbon dioxide - the main global warming gas -and less dangerous wastes.
12.It's flavorful. Many people prefer organic food because they say it tastes better.

Elementary Student Council

2007-10-29T10:25:00.000+07:00

The Elementary School has a new student council organized into action groups. Grade 5 students identified four key areas for action, and the environment (Green Panthers) was front and centre. In their first two meetings, the new elementary Green Panthers came up with a flurry of proposals and will be working on several issues related to Halloween in Nichada to start.

Future projects will include energy and water conservation measures at ISB and ways to reduce waste in the elementary school.

To echo the sentiments of the student council, please take a look at the following poem from Nadya Rauch, a grade 2 student.

A Tree is Nice

A tree is nice because it seems to
Keep you company when you’re alone.
It gives you a better view, too,
So you can see all of the other beautiful trees.
Trees are nice to play on.
Trees give you lots of juicy fruits.
In the fall, play with all of its colorful leaves!
On a hot summer day, stop at a tree and have a picnic.

Water it each day.

A tree is nice because it gives all of it’s beauty just to you and all of it’s beautiful colors just to you.
Trees are your friend, you see, all in your backyard just for you.
All of its beauty into your life!
All of your care in your tree.
If you listen into the wind you will hear your tree say
Thank you!

Munch and Music

2007-10-16T12:01:00.000+07:00

The ISB Student Council has taken one more step in the green direction by voting not to use disposable plates, cups or cutlery for their annual Munch and Music event. The event, a two hour showcase for student music and dance, is a huge fundraising opportunity for the many student organizations at ISB. Students recognized that last year's event generated a lot of waste from disposable plates and cups and decided to take action this year.

The Green Panthers' decision to purchase a huge set of utensils and plates for school events is paying off. The plates have been used at school events already and are reserved for Munch and Music and the International Food Fair. The reduced waste benefits us all (as does the reduced aggravation from trying to eat with plastic knives and forks).

Thanks to Student Council for making this commitment.

Green Panther Newsdesk

2007-10-11T13:14:00.000+07:00

Green Panther News Desk

ISB gets greener and greener every week. Some highlights of recent green news stories…

Partnership Opportunity for ISB and the Bill Clinton Foundation
The Bill Clinton Foundation recently approached ISB and several other Bangkok schools about a potential partnership with very green overtones. While the full details of the proposal will be revealed at a special meeting on 16 October, early information is that the Foundation will fully fund an environmental retrofit of the entire school (lighting, cooling, insulation etc.). Repayment of these upfront costs will be through savings from the school’s reduced consumption of energy.

More details will follow next week’s meeting. Keep your fingers crossed.

Grade 2 Goes Organic

This year, as part of their study of plants in Science, the Grade 2 students at ISB are growing vegetables in organic gardens. Over a dozen small plots line the jogging path near the fence on the far side of the parking lot. Student teams planted carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, spinach and other vegetables in the hopes that before our December holiday, their classes will be able to harvest vegetables and share a salad they have grown themselves.

Not only will students gain valuable information about plants as they follow their crops from seed to table, but they will also reap the rewards that come to those who take time to care for the earth that sustains us.

In our community, much of the food our children see is either commercially prepared, or packaged in cardboard and plastic. It is easy to forget that our food comes not from
Villa, but from the ground. Just a few generations ago, a majority of earth's inhabitants nourished themselves, at least in part, with food they had grown themselves or animals they raised for that purpose. Now that nearly half of the planet’s inhabitants live in cities, a growing number of children cannot identify the origins of the food they eat because their food is wrapped in plastic on a Styrofoam
tray, vacuum-sealed, or boxed with a colorful label. In order to combat this trend, a recent article on nutrition in the New York Times Magazine gave this simple advice for good health: if your grandparents didn’t eat, you probably shouldn’t either. You know that rules out Pringles.

We can only take better care of our earth if we learn about it - what it needs, how it works, and how to carefully manage what it has to offer. Congratulations to Grade 2 for taking this concrete step. Work the garden, enjoy the food.

Visitors are welcome to view the gardens, and volunteer gardeners are
encouraged to ask the second grade teachers how they can help. Contact Caryn Macky, magicrat@loxinfo.co.th, for more information about the gardens or Kerry Dyke, kerryd@isb.ac.th, for ways you can support earth care at ISB.

Green Panther Birth Announcement

The Elementary Green Panthers are born! The newly established elementary student council is organized into four action groups and the Green Panthers were front and centre. Their first meeting is on the 25th. You will definitely hear more.

No More Cup Waste

2007-09-28T08:53:00.000+07:00

Students from our MS Environmental Stewardship class has made another step forward in "greening" up our campus. The Life in the Middle student news blog has posted a letter detailing the plan to get rid of all the disposable plastic cups that are used for drinks and then thrown away. They will be replaced by REUSABLE plastic cups that can be washed and brought back out the next day.

If we want our school to be more environmentally friendly, then we are going to have to make some serious changes in the actions that we take part in. This is the reason why we are going to change the disposable cups in the cafeteria into reusable cups. This is much more environmentally friendly because it will drastically cut down on our daily waste. However, once we have the new cups we need your help to make this work. Please do not take the cups home for yourself and make sure they are returned to the cafeteria staff. We hope you support our cause.

Well done to the students and we are looking forward to more initiatives like this one!

ISB Varsity Boys Soccer Team goes Carbon Free

2007-09-04T20:41:00.000+07:00

Traveling is a part of any sports team and at ISB we sometimes go even a little further. The soccer team will travel to Singapore and KL for matches this season. It would be better for the environment if we didn’t go on these flights at all, however, the teams would not be so happy about that. Therefore, the team did the next best thing; they took steps to offset their carbon emissions for these flights. Working with the PATT foundation they planted trees to soak up and store that carbon. No one is saying this is the perfect solution, but if you are going to take that flight anyway, then at least this helps.

Comments from Coach Rob Heath were:

"The PATT staff did a wonderful job facilitating a perfect win-win scenario for the International School Bangkok Boys Soccer team last Saturday. To offset the carbon we will be emitting on our flights to Tournaments in Singapore and KL, each player paid 400 baht towards the cost of planting 55 trees at the Sri Nakorn Kuan Khan Park. We had a great day out in a beautiful green space very close to the city centre, and we all felt like we had done a little towards making our air cleaner and the world greener. It was great to get our hands dirty and to feel a personal relationship with the young trees as we carefully placed them in the holes and filled in the soil around them."

You can also offset your own flights, your car or yourself if you like. Just visit the PATT site: http://www.plant-a-tree-today.org for more information.

If you were in charge, what would you do?

2007-09-04T20:31:00.000+07:00

So you think it is easy saving the world.

Let’s see how you do running your own city. Chevron has a site about the environment and it has a very cool game that let’s you run the city’s energy. Every decision you make affects the environment and the economy. Can you help your city prosper while keeping it green? Give it a shot and see how you do. What is your best score?

Shop and Invest Green

2007-07-31T09:39:00.000+07:00

Here's a great new website that suggests what you the consumer can do to help positively impact climate change (or at least less negatively).

http://s205135802.onlinehome.us/index.php

Check it out.

ISB Students create the Green Bag

2007-06-04T10:06:00.000+07:00

In Sunday, June 3rd's Bangkok Post, three ISB students, Phantila Phataraparasit, 13, Tiffany Vanichviroon, 13, and Phiravit Phataraprasit, 11 were featured in an article for their creation of the 'Green Bag' in association with the Gourmet Markets of Siam Paragon and Emporium.

Now, home furnishing chain Habitat has adopted an adorable idea from three young schoolchildren at the International School of Bangkok, by inviting green-hearted fashionistas to shop in style while showing their responsibility towards the environment by using a natural canvas bag, called the "Green Bag". The bag has been created to encourage shoppers to refrain from using environmentally unfriendly plastic bags.

"As a part of a school competition to see who could come up with the best project to help lessen the effects of global warming, the three young students, Phantila Phataraparasit, 13, Tiffany Vanichviroon, 13, and Phiravit Phataraprasit, 11, were brave enough to present their ideas to the executives of Siam Paragon and Emporium's Gourmet Market, who took up the challenge and made it happen," said Brent D. Smith, chief marketing officer of Habitat Thailand. "This project gives people a choice as to whether to participate in the reduction of their carbon footprint by saying 'No' to plastic."

The bags are available in five designs at Habitat stores and at ISB for 100 baht each.

The students' recognition is well-deserved and ISB is very proud of their efforts.

Everyone can make a difference!

Close to Home - A Thai village under water

2007-05-25T14:02:00.000+07:00

BBC NEWS Asia-Pacific The village that was swallowed by the sea

This BBC News artcile describes the plight of a Thai village just an hour south of Bangkok. Environmentalists claim that the erosion is probably "some of the worst in the world."

Climate change has resulted in more intense waves and rougher seas during the monsoon period," he said. "The average height of waves used to be between one and 1.5 metres, but now it has increased to between two and four metres high.

While locals have tried natural solutions like the planting of mangrove trees which typically encourage sediment, the saplings haven't taken because the waves are too big and the trees just get wiped out.

Dr Thanawat's solution? Concrete wave-breakers built 500 meters out. But the solution is only a study.

The question is, what can be done long term?

Earth Week & Fair

2007-05-23T13:56:00.000+07:00

On April 23-27 ISB celebrated earth week. Each day had different themes all related to making people more environmentally aware and giving them opportunities to take eco action.

On Friday we had the Earth Fair and had over 20 companies and NGO’s at the event. We also had 10 student projects. I would like to extend a sincere thank you to each of you who participated in this event. The day was a huge success with about one thousand students going to the event and being actively engaged in learning about environmental issues and solutions.

We also have a photo gallery up of the fair.

Go With Da Fro

2007-05-10T12:16:00.000+07:00

Plant a Tree Today is an UK Charity organization with offices in Thailand. As their name suggests they are particularly focused on addressing climate change in a proactive way by planting trees to offset carbon footprints.

At Plant A Tree Today we can't completely reverse the effects of deforestation and global warming, but we can discover how planting trees can help to combat climate change, provide sustainable economic development for developing countries and poor rural communities, and reduce the effects of natural disasters. We can make a difference.

Chris, a representative from PATT, unveiled their new campaign at ISB's Earth Fair. The new video clip features the talents of the Rapping Professor and shares the message of tree planting and positively combatting climate change. We have posted this video on our school site as well.

No Idling at ISB

2007-05-08T10:58:00.000+07:00

One of our accomplishments of the year was to implement the "No Idling" policy. Cars waiting in the parking lot must shut off their engines. This applies to the school buses as well, which were turning on their engines AND running air conditioning well before students were coming out to get on them.

This policy will significantly reduce emissions at ISB.

To see the poster in both English and Thai, click here.

For a poster of the image above, click here.

An Inconvenient Truth

2007-05-08T10:40:00.000+07:00

The Green Panthers showcased the award winning documentary film, "An Inconvient Truth". As a result of showing this film with the entire MS and HS student body, students' awareness of global climate change was increased significantly.

Students wrote letters to former U.S. Vice-President Al Gore as a response to his film. The former Vice-President sent a response letter.

Future Plans

2007-05-08T10:19:00.000+07:00

In the future we are hoping to do the following:

Have more of an impact in the cafeteria and add organic products, reduce waste, and use more eco certified labels
Work with Chevron to do an eco audit and measure ISB’s carbon footprint
Continue to build awareness and involve the extended community more
Form a partnership with Plant-a-tree-today and help ISB reduce and offset its carbon footprint
Possibly work with a company who makes biodegradable plastic out of tapioca.

Accomplishments of 2007

2007-05-08T10:11:00.000+07:00

We are a group of environmentally conscious people made up of teachers, parents, and board members. Our aim to increase environmental awareness at ISB and more importantly, start making positive environmental changes to reduce the school’s Eco (carbon) footprint.

Green Panther goals are to improve ISB’s environmental performance by:

Activating environmental awareness, learning, and action
Analyzing consumption patterns and habits at ISB
Modeling responsible citizenship
Providing venues for meaningful social action
Reducing our impact on the environment

Some of the things the Green Panthers and ISB have done in 2006-2007 are:

School wide eco survey
Improved recycling center that collects batteries, tabs from cans, juice boxes, printer cartridges, and cell phone batteries
Have added very useful recycling containers throughout the school for bottles, cans, and paper
Blue box for each class for paper recycling
Reduced the plastic bag use in the cafeteria
Had a student logo contest
Stopped the use of paper cups for sports teams and helped encourage teams to use reusable water bottles
Reduced the amount of water bottles delivered because of a switch to water dispensers
Weekly eco tips in student bulletin
Weekend trip with 25 students to Khai Yai to work with Wildaid and learn about conservation
Had meetings with architect to ensure new building and campus design has the environment in mind
Bought 1000’s of dishes to use at events instead of disposable materials.Hosted environmental assemblies
Designed Green Panther t-shirts and stickers based on the student logos
Implemented a NO idling policy in the parking lot
We have shown the movie ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ to all of the middle school and the high school
This was built into curriculum and had amazing teacher support.We hosted Earth Week from April 23-27, culminating in a massive Earth Fair with several companies, NGO’s, organizations and students showing what they do for the environment

The Green Panthers Online!

2007-05-08T09:50:00.000+07:00

The Green Panthers have joined the blogosphere!

The ISB Green Panthers are volunteers from the International School Bangkok faculty and community in Bangkok, Thailand. We strive to reduce the environmental impact of daily life at ISB as well as promote enviromental awareness throughout the school community about climate change, including ways that each of us can change to reduce our own carbon footprint.

We will be using this space to communicate news of upcoming events, advertise new events, and provide eco-tips for everyone to reduce their negative impact on the environment.

Subscribe to this RSS feed so that you are notified of all new posts as they happen!