We had the privilege of attending at presentation at the GE headquarters in East Cleveland. The presentation was called Beyond Green-Sustainable Business Practices in a Difficult Economy. It was a great afternoon of informed speakers from a variety of industries. Basically, I came away with one thing: Sustainability and saving money are interconnected. By cutting down on energy use, upcycling or recycling, and other sustainable practices you will save money. Therefore, it doesn’t matter what your motivation for being more sustainable is, the two are tied together. That means it makes more sense for everyone to adopt sustainable practices. 
The presentation was held at the MC2 STEM High School. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. New legislation has allowed for the formation of these schools, and Cleveland is the first in the state. This is a four year high school. This is the first year, so all the students on campus are in the ninth grade. The plan involves adding campus locations, so that students can learn in real life business settings. The GE Noble Road campus is great. It’s focus is on sustainability. Projects are all based around the STEM fields. There is room for 100 students in each grade. While touring the campus, I was fascinated by all the cool toys that students got to “play” with. This is not a traditional high school. Through an active, “hands-on” approach students are learning how to use the tools of today’s technology in preparation for the technology of the future. There were computer run routers and laser cutters. The students were making light boxes out of LED’s. There was a project in which a remote control car was being converted to solar power. I have to admit that I was jealous.
The STEM school model is different from the static model we use today. First off, it is by application. Kids have to want to go there, even though it means they may not go to school with the rest of their friends. This has obviously led to students who are proud of themselves and their school, as evidenced by the beaming faces of the students giving the tours. It is open to all students in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and first ring suburbs, so students are mixing with kids from around the area. The school year is also set up in a more European model. The school operates on a 10 week on, 3 week off basis. It seems to work, as attendance at the school is at 95%-among the highest of all schools in the district. While traditional schools are based on class time and testing, this school is based on mastery of student benchmarks in various areas. Mastery means a 90% achievement. Each hub (of which this is the first) will be based on a specific industry-all the programs here are based on energy and sustainability, which means we are training the next generation for the challenges of the new economy. My favorite project was the one in which students of the school went to city hall and did an audit of all the trash and recycling of every office in the building. They spoke with the office occupants and followed up after a few days. One student proudly confessed that he knew that the office workers were more receptive to what they had to say, because they were kids. Children are our future….
If we had more schools like this 30 years ago, we would not be facing many of the challenges that we are facing today.
Tags: children, Cleveland, Energy, environment, Go Green, STEM
Our basic family infrastructure is weak, that is to say too many parents lack the value systems that prize academics and leave too few high bars for their children to go over.
Let’s start with the parents and their children will follow.