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Success Story: Pacific Cascade Middle School
School District: Issaquah
School Location: Issaquah
Began participating in the Green Schools Program: October 2010
Level One of the Green Schools Program: Achieved in May 2011
Waste Reduction and Recycling
- In its first year as a middle school, Pacific Cascade increased its recycling rate from 36 percent to 65 percent through a school-wide program that includes classroom, office and lunchroom recycling. (Until 2010-11, Pacific Cascade was a ninth grade campus only.)
- Thanks to the significant recycling rate increase, the school was able to decrease the frequency of its garbage pickups.
- Six staff members formed a green team and worked together to coordinate waste reduction and recycling education throughout the school.
- Outreach was conducted through staff meetings, morning videos and lunch time announcements. Other promotion included updates on the school website and in parent emails and newsletters.
- The school initiated a student environmental club to involve students in planning and promoting waste reduction and recycling activities.
- All recycling and composting bins are clearly labeled with information about what to place in each bin. Additionally, garbage cans are labeled “landfill” to drive home the point.
- With assistance from the City of Issaquah and with the help of more than 60 parents and student volunteers, the school launched a program to collect food scrap and other compostable materials in the lunchroom and staff lounge. The compostable materials are transported to Cedar Grove, a composting facility.
- Over 25 yards of compostable material is collected each month from the school.
- The school further reduced lunchroom waste while also providing food for hungry students by setting up a share table for unopened, unwanted foods.
- The school’s builder’s club runs a school-wide program with Aveda to recycle twist-tops, plastic sandwich bags, and foil wrappers. By collecting from lunches and classrooms, club members gathered 6,000 twist tops, 3,000 zip lock bags and 500 cereal bar wrappers. These items will be made into plastic containers, garbage cans and benches.
- Pacific Cascade reduced paper use by launching a “Good on One Side” (GOOS) program throughout the school to use paper that’s only been used on one side.
For more information about the school’s conservation achievements and participation in the Green Schools Program, contact:
Shona Campbell, teacher
campbells@issaquah.wednet.edu
Amanda Enright, teacher
enrighta@issaquah.wenet.edu
John Macartney, resource conservation manager, Issaquah School District
johnmacartney@msn.com
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