County honors green Twin Falls teacher
May 1, 2009
By Laura Geggel
Twin Falls Middle School teacher John Spiess is a King County earth hero. King County Green Schools Program recently awarded Spiess with a 2009 Earth Heroes at School award for his green work.
“Winners represent all facets of the school community, yet they share something very important in common: A dedication to conservation and to education,” said King County Executive Ron Sims. “Their stewardship achievements deserve our recognition and our thanks.”
A former Chief Kanim Middle School teacher, Spiess started thinking green before Twin Falls even opened. He contacted the county’s green schools program and acquired recycling bins before the start of the school year. Working with Custodian Betty Hamilton and the PTSA, Spiess soon had the equipment and support to jumpstart the program. With teacher Dawn Frearson, he recruited about a dozen students to join the green team and implement environmentally friendly measures, such as recycling milk cartons at lunch and providing “green tips of the week” in the parent newsletter.
Spiess and his students practice waste reduction, work on recycling strategies and encourage water and energy conservation and lower greenhouse gas emissions through the Cool School Challenge and the King County Green Schools Program.
In honor of Earth Day, Spiess is hoping to have a paperless Wednesday.
“We’re encouraging teachers to come up with creative ways to turn off the copiers and printers,” he said.
Next, Spiess hopes to implement a no-idle zone outside of Twin Falls.
“It’s been good,” Spiess said. “We always hope that we can do more, but we do the best we can.”
Fall City Elementary Librarian Meg Handy also won an earth hero award for improving the lunchtime recycling program, obtaining grants for the school’s solar panels, starting a worm bin for food scraps and restoring the school garden.
Reach reporter Laura Geggel at 392-6434 .221 or lgeggel@snovalleystar.com.
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I think what you have done is outstanding!! I would love to learn more in detail what you implemented so that I could start the Fall 2009-2010 school year with a green concept. I am at an Elementary school in South Florida. We talk about green but we need a jump start as to more ideas to implement!
Thanks!