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Success Story: Somerset Elementary School
School District: Bellevue
School Location: Bellevue
Began Participating in the Green Schools Program: September 2008
Level one of the Green Schools Program: Achieved in June 2009
Waste Reduction and Recycling
- The school started to recycle milk cartons throughout the school. An estimated 6,000 milk cartons are recycled each month.
- Students stack their polystyrene lunch trays to help take up less space in the landfill.
- To kick off milk carton recycling and lunch tray stacking, a brief video was broadcast throughout the school for three days. The video was produced by student council members Michelle Jones and Judy Brison with assistance from the Green Schools Program.
- The school’s Green Team members passed out approximately 50 stickers to classrooms and workrooms that list what can and cannot be recycled at school.
- Stephanie Wright and her third grade class created a video to educate students on how to pack a “green lunch.” The video focused on reusable products and was broadcast for several days before the “green lunch” kick off. Wright also sent an e-mail to parents on how to pack “green lunches” for their children and listed two Web sites to provide further resources.
- During the green lunch kickoff, Green Team staff members Rob Brown, Cathy Gagne and Stephanie Wright recognized students who packed green lunches by giving them pencils made from recycled newspaper.
- Reusable dishware and silverware now are used at all staff parties and meetings.
- To save paper, the weekly school newsletter is e-mailed to families, saving approximately 500 sheets of paper each week.
- Principal Betty Hannaford e-mailed the 2008-09 “parent input” form, saving 650 pieces of paper.
- In staff workrooms, special bins are designated for photocopy paper that has been printed on one side. School staff uses the other side to make draft copies.
- The cost of Somerset's photocopy paper decreased from more than $30,000 per year to $11,000 in 2008-09.
- The school Web site includes a “green” section that lists tips, resources and Web sites for the school community.
- Teacher Ann Grant created a Sharepoint survey that teachers and students took to rate themselves on their school conservation practices. The results of the survey will be used to create conservation goals for 2009-10.
Energy Conservation
- Some teachers assigned a student to turn off lights when the class leaves and to turn off lights in empty rooms while walking down the hall.
- In the 13 rooms that do not have an automatic light sensor, a sign was placed near the light switch to remind people to turn off the lights when they leave. The signs, printed on recycled paper, read: “If this is in sight…please turn off the lights.”
For more information about the school’s conservation achievements and participation in the Green Schools Program, contact:
Stephanie Wright, teacher
wrights@bsd405.org
Rina Fa’amoe, resource conservation manager for Bellevue Public Schools
faamoer@bsd405.org
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