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Success Story: Grand Ridge Elementary School
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Grand Ridge Elementary
4th grade students from Mrs. Pathak’s class empty classroom recyclable materials into hallway recycling container |
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A first grader in Mrs. Holzer’s class recycles paper |
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Earth Hero at School Award
Grand Ridge received the King County award in April 2011. |
School District: Issaquah
School Location: Issaquah
Began Participating in the Green Schools Program: September 2010
Level One of the Green Schools Program: Achieved in November 2010
Waste Reduction and Recycling
- Grand Ridge Elementary maintains a 62 percent recycling rate through a school-wide program that includes classroom, office and lunchroom recycling.
- Students helped monitor lunchroom recycling and garbage collection containers to ensure proper recycling and waste disposal.
- Students created a video demonstrating which materials should be recycled and composted.
- The school promotes recycling at school-wide events and at events sponsored by the PTSA. Recycling receptacles are conspicuously placed at the annual Walk-A-Thon, Field Day and other events.
- Grand Ridge Elementary significantly reduced paper use by converting to electronic newsletters and fliers instead of paper copies.
- Scratch pads made from paper used on one side are in the staff workroom for use by teachers.
- Classrooms and offices have paper reuse boxes to collect paper used on one side, allowing students and staff to reduce waste by using paper more efficiently.
- Students placed stickers listing what can and can’t be recycled on recycling containers throughout the school.
- Along with all schools in the Issaquah School District, Grand Ridge’s lunchroom eliminated the use of wrapped straws and uses durable trays that are washed and reused.
- When it’s not possible to use durable trays, the lunchroom uses compostable paper trays instead of polystyrene trays.
- In the 2009-10 school year, students collected food scraps one week per month for onsite composting. The finished compost was used in the school garden, which volunteers maintain by weeding and removing non-native plants.
- During the 2010-11 school year, with assistance from the City of Issaquah, the school plans to have its food scraps and other compostable materials collected and delivered to Cedar Grove Composting.
Award
- Grand Ridge received a King County Earth Hero at School award in April 2011.
For more information about this school’s conservation achievements and participation in the Green Schools Program, contact:
Leslie Lederman, program assistant
ledermanl@issaquah.wednet.edu
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