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Success Story: Ardmore Elementary School
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A student creates a drawing to promote recycling at Ardmore
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School District: Bellevue
School Location: Bellevue
Began participating in the Green Schools Program: September 2009
Level One of the Green Schools Program: Achieved in May 2010
Level Two of the Green Schools Program: Achieved in April 2011
Waste Reduction and Recycling
- Ardmore created a Green Team comprised of staff, students, administration and interested parent volunteers.
- The City of Bellevue partnered with the Green Schools Program to assist Bellevue schools with recycling improvements.
- In 2009 and 2010, thanks to new lunchroom conservation practices and a school-wide emphasis on improving recycling and reuse habits, the school reached a recycling rate of 57 percent.
- Ardmore increased lunchroom recycling by 32 percent by recycling approximately 50 gallons of milk cartons, plastic bottles and aluminum cans each day. By recycling these materials and stacking their lunch trays, lunchroom garbage volume was reduced by 80 percent or 390 gallons per day.
- The PTA worked with the Green Team to help implement recycling in the lunchroom. Parents also worked on limiting book order handouts and catalogs to reduce paper use.
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Ardmore Elementary School’s lunchroom recycling and food scrap collection containers
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- Students made classroom presentations about recycling and waste reduction.
- The student council created posters about recycling.
- Students placed stickers on recycling containers listing what can and can’t be recycled.
- During library time, the school librarian taught students about reuse and recycling.
- The district’s resource conservation manager made a presentation about recycling at a PTA meeting.
- In 2010-11, with assistance from City of Bellevue, students began collecting cafeteria food scraps and food soiled paper to be sent to Cedar Grove Composting facility.
- A student and parent group monitored cafeteria stations and conducted an outreach campaign.
- The school librarian made presentations about waste reduction and recycling to all of her classes and three third grade classes participated in “healthy habitat” workshops.
- During 2010-11, the school reduced garbage volume from 16 cubic yards to eight cubic yards per week and its recycling rate rose to 62 percent.
Energy Conservation
- Students posted signs near lights and electrical equipment to remind staff and students to turn them off when not in use.
- The principal sent information to staff about the school’s energy use via email and to parents via newsletter.
- Staff made morning announcements about conserving energy.
Water Conservation
- Three fourth-grade classes participated in Nature Vision’s “healthy water systems” workshop.
For more information about the school’s conservation achievements and participation in the Green Schools Program, contact:
Ardmore Elementary School
425-456-4700
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