|
|
Success Story: Islander Middle School
[+] Enlarge  |
Students recycle at Islander |
| |
[+] Enlarge  |
Recycling containers in Islander’s lunchroom |
| |
[+] Enlarge  |
|
Students created helpful poster
Poster shows students which items – including compostable utensils made of corn – can be collected for composting
|
School District: Mercer Island
School Location: Mercer Island
Began participating in the Green Schools Program: February 2008
Level One of the Green Schools Program: Achieved in May 2009
Level Two of the Green Schools Program: Achieved in May 2011
Waste Reduction and Recycling
- Islander Middle School students, with guidance and support from parent Kenlyn Emerson, teachers Cary Spitz and Alasia Heinritz, and principal Mary Jo Budzius, set goals to improve recycling in the lunchroom and eliminate the use of polystyrene lunch trays.
- A student team, the GatorsGoGreen club, was formed. With support from Green Schools Program staff, GatorsGoGreen launched a lunchroom recycling program in the spring of 2008, including a lunchtime assembly and daily announcements and contests.
- After polystyrene trays were replaced by durable trays, the volume of lunchroom garbage was reduced by 50 percent. This means that the school now generates two less 25-cubic yard garbage containers annually.
- Islander estimates that the savings are about $2,000 per year due to switching from disposable polystyrene trays to durable trays. The utility, purchase and maintenance costs of washing durable trays are expected to be one-third the annual purchase and trash hauling costs of disposable trays. Islander received a grant from the Washington State Department of Ecology to help defray the cost of purchasing durable trays.
- Classroom recycling bins and recycling signs were added where needed. Students volunteered to teach others about what is and isn’t recyclable. Parent monitors helped in the lunchroom to support student efforts.
- Parent Kenlyn Emerson and GatorsGoGreen educated district staff, school staff and students about the waste being generated by polystyrene trays. Using models provided by the Green Schools Program, the team compiled data for the district to compare the costs of durable versus disposable trays. The detailed analysis persuaded the district to make the change.
- Students created an education campaign, including “talking trays” that shared facts about the waste created by using disposable trays and the benefits of using durables. Islander shared these resources with the Green Schools Program for use by other Green Schools participants.
- Kitchen staff started to collect compostable materials in the fall of 2010.
- In February 2011 students and staff started a composting collection program in the school cafeteria and in the teacher’s lounge.
- In 2010-11, conservation activities and outreach became the responsibility of the leadership students and other interested students who worked hard to educate students in preparation for the launch of the composting collection program.
- Teacher Cary Spitz presented at a faculty meeting and showed a composting video clip and education materials that would be used in the classroom to help educate students about the importance of composting and how to collect compostable materials at school. During the transition, parent volunteers and staff helped to monitor students for approximately two weeks.
- The faculty also received a presentation about how to reduce paper use.
- The composting collection program reduced the school’s waste by an additional 25 percent. Islander Middle School’s overall school recycling rate at the end of 2010-2011 was 63 percent.
Energy Conservation
- Students and staff worked to complete Level Two of the Green Schools Program.
- Mrs. Riccio’s students created posters that were displayed throughout the school to promote proper dress for the seasons and thermostat settings. Leadership students led an “earth spirit” week that focused on conserving energy, recycling, and reducing pollution. During that week, students were asked to wear green on Monday to promote recycling and composting, gray on Tuesday to promote paper reduction, white on Wednesday to promote energy conservation, blue on Thursday to promote water conservation and bright colors on Friday as a reminder about ocean pollution.
- The leadership students also created daily live morning announcements that wereplayed on the school television. Each day they discussed various conservation tips that related to that day’s theme.
- The eighth grade science classes complete a unit on natural resources and discuss carbon footprint, water conservation and soil erosion. The sixth grade science classes also learn about ecosystems.
- The district checks mechanical equipment twice per year.
- To conserve energy, summer programs are scheduled for one wing of building.
- The district installed energy-efficient LED lights in the gym and provided a more energy-efficient boiler for the school.
Awards
- Islander Middle School received a King County Earth Hero at School award in 2009.
For more information about the school’s conservation achievements and participation in the Green Schools Program, contact:
Cary Spitz, teacher
cary_spitz@misd.wednet.edu
Mary Jo Budzius, principal
Maryjo_budzius@misd.wednet.edu
top of page
|
