Environmentalisma and the Sesame Street Generation

According to Todd Myers at the National Center for Policy Analysis, federal efforts to "green" our schools are a waste of money. He bases this conclusion on a very selective and narrow set of evidence, that of a few schools in Washington state. Did he choose to examine Washington because it is "the national leader in embracing the green school movement," or because the numbers from this sample supported his chosen conclusion? And how can we make sweeping generalizations about policy success or failure based on a single year of evidence? There are clear flaws in Myers' reasoning, but he does raise some worthwhile concerns. How much federal money should go toward greening existing schools, or constructing new schools with green features? Would the money be better spent hiring better teachers?
The environmental movement has taken over the American public consciousness in the last few years, and schools have begun to reflect this shift with an array of green initiatives. A report from the Maryland Association of Environmental and Outdoor Education directly contradicts Myers, finding a positive correlation between green education programs and student achievement (http://www.maeoe.org/pdf/GSreport_bw.pdf)
It may be easier to influence environmentally-friendly behavior in schools than to completely redesign them. Sesame Street, a champion of early literacy and daily fixture of my childhood, has also promoted environmentalism for years. Kids now grow up being at least familiar with recycling and reducing our negative impact on our environment. Schools should take advantage of this fact, allowing kids to see that they can make a positive difference in their communities. That should be a primary lesson underlying the entire curriculum, regardless of whether its is attached to environmentalism.
http://www.takepart.com/blog/2009/06/18/40-years-of-sesame-street-recycling/