Naperville preschool first in state to receive Earth Day flag
Naperville Unit District 203’s Anne Reid Early Childhood Center Monday became the first preschool in Illinois to raise its own Earth Day flag.
The honor was bestowed by School & Community Assistance for Recycling & Composting Education (SCARCE) official Kay McKeen for achieving a silver Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification.
Some of the school’s features include motion-sensing lights that turn off when a room is not in use, toilets with two flushing options, native plants and vegetation to conserve water, special brick pavers in the circle bus drive that help absorb the fumes from the buses as well as rain water, and a green garden roof that helps the building maintain a comfortable temperature.
Students also played a role in the achievement by collecting items each month in the lobby, ranging from used gym shoes to gently used books to food for a local pantry. Students also recycle their milk cartons every day.