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Success Story: Fall City Elementary School
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Green Schools team
(click image to enlarge)
From left to right: Dan Schlotfeldt, Colleen Myers, Meg Handy, Laurie Shepherd, Jan Miller, Betsy Zurfluh and Chris Guyer. |
School District: Snoqualmie Valley
School Location: Fall City
Began participating in the Green Schools Program: September 2007
Level one of the Green Schools Program: Achieved in May 2009
Waste Reduction and Recycling
- Fall City Elementary increased its recycling rate from 25 percent to 38 percent, and reduced garbage volume by 447 cubic yards in one year.
- The school received recycling containers and stickers from the Green Schools Program.
- In addition to adding milk carton recycling in the lunchroom, the school collects cell phones and printer cartridges to be recycled.
- Fall City Elementary uses worm bins to compost food scraps from classroom snacks.
- The school has several active teacher and student groups that tackle environmental projects including worm bins, litter pick up and recycling education.
- Fall City actively promotes Waste Free Wednesday campaigns that encourage students to bring lunches from home in durable and recyclable containers.
Environmental Education
- Teachers incorporate waste reduction and recycling messages into their curricula.
- Using the school learning garden, teachers connect conservation concepts to real-world experiences.
Energy Conservation
- With a grant from the Snoqualmie Valley School Foundation and the PTA and free electrician labor donated by A&R Solar, Fall City Elementary installed four solar panels worth $5,300.
- Librarian Meg Handy is working to develop curricula to guide students in monitoring the school’s energy use. Principal Dan Schlotfeldt’s goal is to eventually have the school “off the grid.”
Awards
- Meg Handy received the King County Earth Hero Award in spring 2009 for improving the lunchroom recycling program, obtaining grant funds for solar panels, starting worm bins for composting food scraps, restoring the school garden and supporting teachers in their classroom lessons on conservation.
Fall City Elementary’s plans for 2009-2010 include the following:
- Exploring on-site food composting and potentially selling the compost as a fundraiser
- Developing energy conservation lessons specifically related to the energy data collected from the school’s solar panels
For more information about the school’s conservation achievements and participation in the Green Schools Program, contact:
Meg Handy, librarian
handym@svsd410.org
Dan Schlotfeldt, principal
schlotfeldtd@svsd410.org
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