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Success Story: Woodinville Montessori School
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Woodinville Montessori School
Pre-school students practice sorting recyclable materials everyday. |
School District: Private
School Locations: Bothell and Woodinville
Began participating in the Green Schools Program: September 2009
Level One of the Green Schools Program: Achieved in May 2010
Waste Reduction
- Woodinville Montessori decreased overall solid waste generated by an average of 580 pounds every month.
- The school expanded Waste Free lunches from one day per week to everyday.
- All classrooms use “reuse” containers for paper.
- The school changed its snack menu to use food on hand before it becomes waste.
- All Early Childhood classrooms now have reusable cups and elementary students use reusable water bottles.
- The school significantly decreased its purchase of paper dishware by increasing the number of reusable plates and bowls for classrooms to use during regular lunches and special events.
Recycling
- Woodinville Montessori increased its recycling rate from 48 percent to 72 percent, a 50 percent increase.
- The school worked with Cedar Grove Composting to initiate food scrap and food soiled paper recycling in November 2009 at both campuses, and now diverts 75 pounds of compostable material from the landfill every week.
- Upper elementary students coordinated with the City of Bothell, which provided the school with food scrap containers for every classroom and bio-bags which are compostable bags used to line the food scrap containers.
- Two classrooms began to vermi-compost with worm bins.
- Students in all grades separate recyclable materials in their classrooms, allowing the school to recycle not only items collected by the local recycling company but also plastic lids, additional plastic containers, juice boxes, glass containers and frozen food boxes. Staff members volunteer to take these additional recyclable items to acceptable collection venues. School staff states that this weekly task is an important component to engage and empower students about recycling and to receive feedback on what materials can and can’t be recycled.
- The school placed stickers listing what can and can’t be recycled on school recycling containers.
Education and Outreach
- Outreach and education is based on feedback from sorting and lunchtime observations.
- Students are involved in ongoing education through class meetings.
- Parents are kept informed of “green” school activities through classroom and school newsletters.
- Students from each program level accepted responsibility for becoming informed about one section of the Green Schools level one criteria. They then went to other classrooms to give presentations about recycling, vermi-composting, food scrap composting and waste reduction. Students created posters that listed worm “yum/yuck” items and that displayed recyclable and non-recyclable items.
- Junior High students researched air hand dryers, foam soap dispensers and responsible electronic recycling companies.
General
- The school hosted a brainstorming and information session on sustainable building design and operation as a part of creating the plan for their next facility.
- School staff chose to make healthy, sustainable food choices an area of school focus. During summer 2010 the school will serve as a pick up location for a Community Supported Agriculture program that offers fresh, local fruit and vegetable food boxes to school families. Students in each classroom maintain a garden.
Comment
“Working with the King County Green Schools Program has proved to be a valuable partnership in integrating a strong Montessori curriculum, in which a global perspective of science and environmental education is a central strand as are our everyday practices here at school.” – Nancy Kestek, elementary and junior high program director
For more information about the school’s conservation achievements and participation in the Green Schools Program, contact:
Nancy Kestek, elementary and junior high program director
nkestek@woodinvillemontessori.org
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