They may not take out the trash as often as you’d like, but they will sort the recyclables. Kids at Rio Vista Elementary school were treated to a school-wide environmental fair and career day Friday.

[view:node_ad=5]The event has become a favorite of the students, who make an active effort to recycle, conserve water and otherwise lessen their carbon footprint throughout the year.

“We started this event about three years ago,” said Linda Valdes, the Rio Vista teacher who organized the eco-day. “The national Hispanic Environmental Council has done this for years with high school students, and so we decided that we wanted to create our own model to work with the little ones.”

After a brief assembly featuring local officials, the students performed an environmentally-themed rap before breaking into smaller groups to take part in the day’s activities which included a guided hike in the riverbed, an environmental fair and meetings with Smokey the Bear.

“The students absolutely love it,” Valdes said. “It’s just a wonderful opportunity for them to be actively engaged in the learning process.”

Experts were also scheduled to speak to students throughout the day on everyday issues like electricity usage, landscaping and nature.