The best way to reduce trash is to avoid making it, said Reed. "Changing your daily habits is the key. So, while at home or school, I encourage all Hoosiers to think of ways to minimize waste."

Reduce, Reuse, Rethink:

The Learn Green, Live Green focus for February is Reduce, Reuse, Rethink. This not only addresses reducing waste, but finding creative ways to reuse discarded items and rethink their purpose. Can that piece of paper be turned into scratch paper? Can you reuse that peanut butter jar to store something? Can that old article of clothing be donated instead of being thrown away?

Learn Green, Live Green:

Learn Green, Live Green is designed to help educators, students, parents and community members discover practical, cost-effective ways to model environmentally-responsible behavior both inside and outside of the classroom. The Learn Green, Live Green concept fits naturally with Indiana’s academic standards, local school curricula and student learning goals at each grade level. Local participation is completely voluntary.

Online resources:

The Department of Education has launched the Web site, www.doe.in.gov/green to keep administrators, educators, students, parents and community members up to date on all the happenings of the Learn Green, Live Green initiative. The Web site not only provides a focus for each month, but resources including helpful tips, facts and figures, school projects, reading materials, highlights from Indiana schools and even an online forum to share ideas with Hoosiers from across the state.