DNRP > SWD > Education & schools assistance > Class Act Newsletter > Current Issue

School Recycling Program Newsletter — June 2009

Earth Heroes at School 2009 Winners

King County recognized teachers, students, staff, and programs from 16 schools as Earth Heroes at a ceremony on April 30. King County Council President Dow Constantine awarded certificates to this year’s award winners for their outstanding contributions to protect the environment. Projects ranged from making significant reductions in waste generation to basing a student-run espresso business on environmentally sustainable principles. See photos of the winners and information about their projects.

Green Team News

Each year the King County Solid Waste Division recognizes Green Teams that complete projects that conserve resources and improve their school environment. Listed below are some of this year’s winning Green Teams. Those designated EH also received King County’s Earth Hero at School Award this year; those designated GSP are King County Green School Program participants. Look for additional updates on the King County Education and School Assistance webpage this summer.

Elementary Schools

Reducing Waste and Recycling

Linda Reiter’s fifth grade class at Black Diamond Elementary has been busy educating the younger grades about the importance of reusing and recycling. To recognize Earth Day, the fifth grade students supplied every member of the school community with reusable shopping bags donated by local businesses. (EH)

The second grade students in Jan Miller’s classroom at Fall City Elementary are sorting trash more efficiently, reusing scrap paper, and serving as waste reduction role models for younger students. Their efforts at school also include clean-up projects on school grounds and along the nearby river. (GSP)

Intent on improving the school recycling program, Laure Thiébaux’s third grade R Team at the French Immersion School of Washington, designed and hung posters in the school hallways; weighed and analyzed the trash created daily over a one-week period; and performed recycling skits and led waste reduction games in younger-grade classrooms. The R Team continues to monitor their cafeteria in order to support the rest of the student body in developing responsible recycling habits.

Chris Andrews and fourth and fifth grade students at Mirror Lake Elementary are doing their part to keep unnecessary waste out of the landfills by managing a printer cartridge recycling program for the local school and business community.

Ginger Ott, a custodian at Scenic Hill Elementary, has been working closely with fourth through sixth grade students to educate the entire school population about waste reduction methods. A poster campaign and a milk carton recycling program are making huge dents in the amount of garbage the school produces. (GSP)

Joanne Burkett’s Green Team at Sunrise Elementary in Redmond held a GREEN Week in honor of Earth Day. Each day focused on a specific activity, such as a waste-free lunch or a paperless day. In addition, the team has initiated a milk carton recycling program, and added scrap-paper boxes and recycling bins for each classroom. The school’s recycling rate has increased more than twenty percent and its garbage production has decreased by almost half a dumpster per week. (GSP)

The Brownie Girl Scout Troop led by April Carl at Westhill Elementary in Bothell built a three-bin compost structure for their community garden with assistance from local volunteers to reduce waste going to the landfill. The troop has also been learning about the importance of native mason bees in the local ecosystem.

Reducing the Ecological Footprint

Deborah Edwards and the Earth Keepers at Eagle Rock Multi-age K-5 have been busy reducing their school’s ecological footprint. The Earth Keepers facilitated a change from disposable to reusable lunch trays, effectively reducing cafeteria waste by 50 to 70 percent. They also initiated a once-a-month waste- free lunch day for the entire school and planted trees on the school campus. Students have been excited and amazed by the positive results that can result from patient action. (GSP)

Concerned about the condition of our environment, fifth and sixth graders led by Scott Meyer at Martin Sortun Elementary implemented a school-wide composting and recycling program that cuts the school’s garbage output in half. Debbie Sells’ fourth grade class and Kathy Gundlach’s fifth graders are creating native plant gardens on the school grounds. Through the use of educational art, the young gardeners are illustrating the connection between native plant gardens and healthy watershed ecosystems. (GSP)

Secondary Schools

Green Spirit Week

Students Cora Byers and Audrey Phillips organized a creative Green Spirit Week at Leota Junior High. Each day highlighted a different environmental issue designated by a specific color. For example, Wednesday was the day to wear black with an emphasis on turning off lights and electronics, while on Thursday students wore white and were encouraged to reduce paper use. The week culminated with a lunchtime event. (EH) (GSP) (Photo: Audrey Phillips and Cora Byers (Leota JHS) with Dow at podium.jpg - crop to head shots)

Reducing Waste and Recycling

Eighth grade students at Thunder Mountain Middle School organized a Recycling Kick-off Week that involved the whole school. These students made morning announcements using fun facts about recycling. During lunch periods, they assisted other students with proper recycling practices and led lunchroom games and activities to reinforce good habits. Teachers and administrative staff got on board with paperless days and “half-light” days. As a result, these students have instilled behavior changes within the school that will help reduce garbage and protect our precious natural resources. (GSP)

Elise Cooksley received a Green Team mini-grant to purchase a Nitrogen Cycle Lab Kit for her high school science students at Two Rivers High School. Students investigated different substances in the process of decomposing. This activity led to a school-wide composting program of lunch waste, with the compost being used by cooking students for their herb garden as well as by the middle school students who tend a native plant garden. (GSP)

Gardening and Habitat

Arbor Montessori received a Green Team mini-grant to plant a native garden on school grounds and to replace an old footbridge. Students researched and designed the new environmentally sound footbridge which was built by many parent volunteers. For expert advice on native plants, the school teamed up with Mountains to Sound Greenway. The overall outcome is an increase in wildlife and an improvement to the health of the soil.

The Federal Way High School Environmental Club used a Green Team mini-grant to restore the school’s courtyard with native plants, creating a beautiful space that the school can be proud of. This is truly a team effort where birdhouses built by woodshop students will be put to use. Posters and flyers help to inform the whole student body of the benefits of using native plants and encourage the protection and conservation of the earth’s resources.

Alana Vinther’s Green Team at Global Connections High School is replanting two gardens at the school with drought tolerant and pest resistant plants. Students have been working with the grounds crew to plant the garden. Costs of the project are being offset with a grant from Sustainable Seattle. (GSP)

Dianne Thompson’s Environmental Science class at Kent-Meridian High School is building a wildlife habitat on campus. Students are designing and building a pond and a garden that will attract hummingbirds, songbirds and butterflies. Wood shop students are making benches to create an outdoor classroom within the habitat. They also received a grant for worm bins and will be mentors for the school, teaching other students proper recycling of food waste in worm bins. The results will be a reduction in garbage along with a beautiful outdoor space to conduct hands-on environmental classes. (GSP)

The Green Team at Tahoma Middle School held a tree planting event on Earth Day. Using funds they had raised by selling Earth Day T-shirts, they bought 14 Douglas fir trees to replace others that had recently been cut down. Parents, staff and students are proud and delighted with the result. (GSP)

Sustainability Survey Available Online

The Green Team at Skyview Junior High conducted its annual Earth Day Sustainability Survey, which encourages families to make more sustainable choices. Now available online, the survey includes fifty actions you can take to lessen your impact on the earth. Each year, science teachers John Schmied, Tom Nowak, and Claire Farr encourage their students in a variety of environmental projects, including completing this survey with their students. (EH) (GSP)

Subscribe | Unsubscribe | Contact Us

King County | Solid Waste Division | News | Services | Comments | Search

Links to external sites do not constitute endorsements by King County.
By visiting this and other King County Web pages,
you expressly agree to be bound by terms and conditions of the site.
The details.