Bay Area Green Business

Can you help me find my cup?

We like to think that the impact of our education is lasting. Nia House aims to create life-long lovers of learning. We hope to share in values that nurture healthy decision making.

Montessori encourages care of self, care of others, and care of the environment. While care of the environment can be as simple as sweeping, scrubbing a table, or composting, it extends into the choices we make about the longevity and impact of  the day-to-day things we use.

Life Without Plastic not only shares in this vision, they directly support Nia House in executing it! Life Without Plastic has provided Nia House with stainless steel cups at whole sale cost. For the past ten years, Nia House has purchased a cup for each child and inscribed it with their name. The cups are used daily at Nia House. When children graduate, they take their inscribed cup with them for home use and as a memory of their years here at Nia House.

 While at Nia House, these cups play a significant role in our children’s day.

 At 18 months, children come to Nia House to begin their journey of  self-care and meeting their own needs. When toddlers are thirsty, they  find the stainless still cup inscribed with their name and pour their very own cup of water. At lunch, after washing their hands, toddlers come to their lunch tables to find their cup, with their name.

Every morning, the primary aged children, ages 3 to 6 years old, take a tray of cups, napkins, and silverware to set tables in preparation for lunch. They are able to look at the cups and identify which friends are sitting at their table. At lunch time, the children ask one another and their teachers, “Can you help me find my cup?”

We are so grateful to Life Without Plastic for supporting our community’s goal of being waste-free and in sharing with our children that items can be reused and, like learning, made to last.

Life Without Plastic has amazing products that you might want for your home or waste-free lifestyle. lifewithoutplastic.com

Nia House is a Green Certified Business

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We are proud to share that Nia House is now a Bay Area Green Certified Business!

What does is mean to be green certified? Ultimately, it means we are creating an environment that is healthy for children, adults, animals, and the earth. 

These are some of the ways we go green:

 

Waste

  • We purchase paper products with 30-35% post-consumer waste.

  • Though not a part of the certification- Thanks to you, we also use reusable containers in children's lunches!

Recycle & Compost

  • We recycle all paper, glass, metal, cardboard and plastics.

  • We provide recycling and composting containers. 

  •  We comply with state and local requirements by composting all organics, including food discards, compostable paper such as paper towels, and plant debris from landscapes.

Reduce & Reuse

  • We don't use styrofoam or plastic bottles. Children and staff have access to reusable cups, plates, and silverware. 
  • Our copy machine prints on two sides and we use recycled paper. 

Energy 

  • All our lighting is green approved. (Ex. Replaced incandescent bulbs with efficient compact fluorescents.)
  • We use Use ENERGY STAR® appliances an office equipment and enable energy saving features.

Water

  • Our irrigation is season sensitive and we use drip irrigation, mulch, and have drought tolerant plants.
  • Everything plumbing from water flow at the sinks to water volume in toilet flushing has conservation standards. 

Pollution

  • We joined the Air Districts Spare the Air program and notify employees and families of Spare the Air days.

  • We encourage biking with ample bike parking and we are an energizer station for Bike to School Day!

Environmental Purchasing

  • We purchase green cleaning supplies and organic, fair trade foods.