Top of the World Elementary (TOWE), nestled in the hills of Laguna Beach, has always had a focus on developing environmentally and socially conscious students by providing opportunities for them to make positive impacts locally and globally. There are three onsite gardens used as outdoor classroom spaces, an 18-foot geodesic dome greenhouse, and outdoor cooking stations. During the 2016–17 school year, students spent a combined 10,000 hours learning outdoors. TOW uses digital devices and do many assignments online to save paper. PTA, principal, and district announcements are all sent digitally, reducing paper waste. Students also use the solar power generated from a solar array on the shed roof to power a blender and make smoothies, and collect weather data for analysis through a school-wide WeatherBug system on building roofs.
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