Sustainability Spotlight: Marina Bush at Lux Middle School
November’s Sustainability Spotlight is shining on Marina Bush, a science teacher from Lux Middle School!
Bush first served as a Sustainability Champion at Park Middle School, bringing in a wildlife encounter for students after earning a funding reward through the Green Schools Recognition Program. At Lux, she has continued her efforts to get students connected to the environment and involved with sustainability by founding the school’s “Green Team.”
The Green Team is a student-led initiative that focuses on increasing environmental actions and making sustainable decisions. The club meets weekly for litter cleanups and to encourage sustainable actions among their fellow students.
Together, Bush and the Green Team have organized schoolwide sustainability projects including marker recycling, the Cans4Books Recycling Drive and the NexTrex Recycling Challenge.
Bush credits Green Team student leaders for the club’s successes. She said that creating a safe space for students to share their ideas has allowed the club’s focus to develop organically.
“My role as the Green Team leader and the Sustainability Champion is to be the guide and the resource for them, but they are the ones that decide in what direction they think it’s most important to go,” she said.
In addition to their impressive commitment to recycling and litter cleanups, the Green Team also dives into a variety of other sustainability topics. Club members have examined eco-friendly home building practices with UNL Engineering Ambassadors and explored air and water quality with the LPS Environmental Department.
Most recently, Nelnet engineers trained Bush and the Green Team on the school’s new solar panel array. Students learned how to adjust the panels and can access real-time data to see how different angles impact power output. Each of these experiences provided an opportunity for hands-on learning, as well as a connection to various STEM career fields.
"They're the ones that are building this world that they are then going to be adults in, so they have a sense of what is important to them."
Bush said she hopes to see the club’s efforts include more gardening this year, expanding on previous classroom growing projects. Even when a project doesn’t quite go as planned, Bush says the supportive environment of the Green Team helps students make the most of each meeting.
“They get to take risks and try things out and see how it goes, so the club is really great to build students’ confidence,” she said. “That’s one of the best parts of being a Sustainability Champion, is seeing the kids thrive in that kind of club.”
Bush has been an inspiring role model for students and staff alike, proving that sustainability is not a one-track issue. With plans to continue building student confidence through hands-on environmental work, Bush and the Green Team are just getting started! We’re excited to see the future of sustainability at Lux in such capable and enthusiastic hands.
