Green students help conserve energy across the district
August 18, 2010
By Laura Geggel
Two Snoqualmie Elementary School students show how the green team helps recycle at the school on a weekly basis. By Laura Geggel
For many students heading back to school this year, green is the new black.
From the clothes and appliances they buy to the way they conserve energy and recycle waste, green students are infusing their lives with an environmental perspective.
But even students with the greenest of intentions need guidance, and many got it from the King County’s Green Schools program.
Out of the 10 schools in the Snoqualmie Valley, eight have participated in the program: Two Rivers School, Cascade View Elementary School, Fall City Elementary School, North Bend Elementary School, Snoqualmie Elementary School, Twin Falls Middle School, Chief Kanim Middle School and Mount Si High School.
King County Green School began as a pilot program in 2002 and opened to K-12 public and private schools in 2003, Project Manager Dale Alekel said.
“Interest in the program has grown tremendously over the past few years,” Alekel said. “I think that students and adults are becoming more and more aware of how we are impacting our environment and becoming more knowledgeable about how the steps they take and the changes they make in their everyday lives can make a positive impact and make a real difference.”
Students can be the eyes and ears of the school, reporting leaky faucets, turning off lights and computers after school and educating their classmates about recycling.
At Mount Si High, students recycle cardboard and bottles, and the Green Team is working to transition the school from plastic to compost-friendly silverware, Green Team member Mik Metzler, who is a senior, said.
“We have the resources to become a very green school, but it just kind of takes the initiative from the students to get it done,” he said.
Mount Si’s Green Team has already spearheaded a food-scrap compost program set to start this year that would include not only the high school but also local businesses.
Younger students are also contributing to green teams.
At Cascade View Elementary, students improved the school’s recycling rate by 58 percent, from 16 percent to 38 percent, by increasing classroom recycling and initiating a lunchtime recycling program for milk cartons and juice boxes.
Cascade View students and staff members also collect plastic bags, eyeglasses, cell phones, printer cartridges, Capri Sun packets and glue sticks for recycling.
Recycling has saved the school money, too.
By decreasing paper use and making double-sided copies, teachers reduced the amount of paper ordered for the workroom, saving more than $300 in a single month.
“The beauty of conservation is that energy and water conservation and recycling do save money,” Alekel said.
Green teams can also teach children about the environment. Both North Bend and Snoqualmie elementary schools have gardens, where children can learn about the life cycles of plants and animals, as well as compost food scraps from lunch.
In addition, students often carry the green spirit home.
“I think it’s helped me become more conscious of the environment,” said Metzler, who recycles and composts at home.
Back to school shopping
As students head back to school, they and their parents can work together to buy more environmental products.
Alekel suggested using the Center for a New American Dream at www.newdream.org, a nonprofit that works to conserve natural resources. Instead of buying new supplies, the nonprofit advises people reuse material from last year or to frequent thrift stores.
It also suggests alternatives to regular supplies, including soy-based crayons instead of paraffin wax crayons, and avoiding polyvinyl chloride, PVC — a plastic that contaminates the environment with cancer-causing chemicals when produced, according to the Center for a New American Dream. PVC can also leach out chemicals mixed with it, including phthalates and lead.
To steer clear of PVC, the nonprofit advised avoiding products with the word “vinyl” on the packaging, such as vinyl three-ring binders, or the number three underneath the recycling symbol.
People can also help the environment by using durable water bottles and utensils, instead of disposable plastic ones, and plastic containers or reusable cloth bags instead of plastic sandwich bags.
Metzler said he saw many students carrying colorful water bottles that were steel or plastic, so long as they did not have Bisphenol A, better known as BPA, an environmental estrogen that disrupts the body’s hormones.
“I think more and more it’s trendy,” Metzler said. “They get them to match their clothes or their purse. I carry my Nalgene around. I know a lot of my friends do it, too.”
Laura Geggel: 392-6434, ext. 221, or lgeggel@snovalleystar.com. Comment at www.snovalleystar.com.
Comments
One Response to “Green students help conserve energy across the district”
Got something to say?
Before you comment, please note:
- These comments are moderated.
- Comments should be relevant to the topic at hand and contribute to its discussion.
- Personal attacks and/or excessive profanity will not be tolerated and such comments will not be approved.
- This is not your personal chat room or forum, so please stay on topic.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Okabashi Shoes, Jules. Jules said: Green students help conserve energy across the district http://bit.ly/asyCq8 [...]