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Success Story: Sunset Elementary School
School District: Issaquah
School Location: Bellevue
Began participating in the Green Schools Program: September 2010
Level One of the Green Schools Program: Achieved in May 2011
Waste Reduction and Recycling
- Sunset Elementary increased its recycling rate from 24 percent to 62 percent through a school-wide program that includes classroom, office and lunchroom recycling.
- The school reduced its garbage pick-up from twice per week to once per week.
- With assistance from the City of Bellevue, the school launched a program to collect food scraps and other compostable materials in the lunchroom and staff lounge. The compostable materials are transported to Cedar Grove, a composting facility.
- Green team members monitored in the lunchroom for several weeks after kick-off to ensure proper sorting of recyclable and compostable materials.
- The school further reduced lunchroom waste by establishing a share table for unopened food, and staff lunchroom monitors recognized students who generated the least amount of waste during lunch.
- Sunset’s student green team and a second grade class created posters showing which materials can be recycled, composted and thrown away. The posters were distributed to classrooms and placed throughout the school.
- In the fall of 2010, Sunset’s Parent Teacher Association (PTA) received a grant to fund the cost of reusable stainless steel water bottles. In December 2010, the 650 bottles were distributed to every Sunset student.
- To reduce paper, the weekly school newsletter is sent to families electronically, saving approximately 3,250 sheets of paper per week.
- The office created a reuse box for paper that’s only been used on one side, and all staff and parent volunteers are encouraged to make double-sided copies.
- Along with all schools in the Issaquah School District, Sunny Hill’s lunchroom eliminated the use of 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.
- Sunset hosted a waste reduction and recycling assembly for first through fifth grades.
- Throughout the year, in staff and PTA meetings, through newsletters and at school-wide assemblies, the school shared information about its conservation improvements.
For more information about the school’s conservation achievements and participation in the Green Schools Program, contact:
Elizabeth Johnson, program assistant
johnsone2@issaquah.wednet.edu
John Macartney, resource conservation manager, Issaquah School District
johnmacartney@msn.com
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