Monroe County Schools Go Green Students are what it takes

1
Monroe County Schools Go Green Students are what
it takes
2
Where Are We Now?

• Recycling in the Keys is done sporadically
• Limited residential commercial program
• Current county wide recycling level 6-7
• No cohesive school program
• A few teachers have developed their own
  curriculum
• Principals have a desire to implement a program,
  but need support

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Where Are We Going?

• Educate students and staff on recycling
• Have recycling bins in or near every classroom in
  Monroe county
• Save Money by drastically reducing waste being
  produced by schools
• By 2010, generate revenue for each school based
  on cardboard output.

4
How Do We Get There?


Through a multi-phased program developed
specifically for schools in the Keys

• Personal presentations
• Video support
• Wide spread campaign to launch comprehensive
  GREEN program
• (Main focus on recycling)
• Interactive activities, events, competitions

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Not Just Education, But Implementation

• Recycling Must become part of daily life at
  school
• Students can earn community service hours
• It is focused at home, but must be reinforced at
  school

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Not Just Education, But Implementation (contd)

• Integrated classroom program which is
• Relevant age appropriate
• Divided into two groups K-5 6-12
• Actionable
• Easily translated into all aspects of life
• Supports classroom curriculum
• Introduced through science program

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Developing Awareness and Understanding

• Teaching recycling basics
• Waste vs. recyclable materials
• Household
• Schools
• Industrial commercial
• Hazardous materials

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Developing Awareness and Understanding (contd)

• Definition of relevant terms
• Waste
• Environment
• Recycle
• Waste to energy
• Conservation
• Biodegradable
• Single stream
• Composting
• More, as age appropriate

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Developing Awareness and Understanding (contd)

• What happens to waste once it is picked up?
• Landfills
• Waste to energy
• Recycling second life

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Developing Awareness and Understanding (contd)

• Impact on the environment
• Three Rs (Reduce/Reuse/Recycle)
• How can each be accomplished?

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Implementation of School Recycling Program

• Identify specific recovery areas in school
  (cafeteria, classrooms, offices)
• Identify what can be recycled in each area
• Track the amount of materials recycled through
  the school year and share the results

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Classroom Tool Kit

• Recycling guide
• Recycling activity sheets
• Experiments and activities (e.g. instructions for
  making recycled paper)
• Supplies for creating a recycling bulletin board,
  demonstrating the steps and materials that can be
  recycled

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Suggested Supplemental Activities

• Keep a waste diary. This will allow the students
  to see which items are thrown away the most, and
  which to target to try and reduce. Create a plan
  for improvement.
• Analyze the impact of the items not being
  recycled.

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Suggested Supplemental Activities (contd)

• Conduct a classroom/schoolwide waste audit.
  Suggest measures for improvement.
• Conduct schoolwide recycling competition (or
  district wide).

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Suggested Supplemental Activities (contd)

• Conduct a schoolwide challenge such as No waste
  lunch day during which students and staff
  attempt to throw as little as possible into the
  trash at the end of the lunch period.
• At home project take something thats normally
  thrown away and use it to create something else
  that is useful or decorative.

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Suggested Supplemental Activities (contd)

• Interview businesses that exhibit green
  practices.
• Presentation from students at CSHS Environmental
  Science Academy on results of their recycling
  program.
• Field trips to communal composter

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Suggested Supplemental Activities (contd)

• Student eco summit (perhaps held in conjunction
  with the annual GLEE event), with students
  presenting their results (be they changes in
  habits or creation of new and interesting items
  from what would have been discarded).