Application for the 2012-2013 School Year

Application p.1 of 6
Green Up Our Schools

Basic Information Thank you for taking the time to apply to the Green Up Our Schools program! Please fill out this application to the best of your ability, as it will be used to gauge your school's qualifications for participation in the program. We hope you understand this is a competitive process and no school is guaranteed admission. Good luck!

School Information
School District: School: School: School: School: School: School: School: School: School: School: School: School: School District (please fill in): School: School Phone: - -

Contact Information
By filling out this application, you agree to take on the responsibility of the program as Lead Program Chair. Please note: The Green Up Our Schools program is a significant time commitment. Should your school be accepted, the Lead Program Chair must be available for monthly phone calls with the Green Up Our Schools Program Coordinator for the next three years and must be committed to meeting the monthly goals of the program.

Your name:
Relationship to the school:
Email:
Phone:	- - ext.
Please note: As the next step in the application process, the Lead Program Chair must be available for a phone interview during the first two weeks of September 2012.

Principal's Name:
Email:
Phone:	- - ext.

School Proclamation Participating in the Green Up Our Schools program requires participation from your entire school. As Lead Program Chair, it is your responsibility to discuss this with your principal prior to submitting this application. After doing so, both the Lead Program Chair and the Principal must sign the School Proclamation, confirming your commitment to the Green Up Our Schools program. Please print the document and return a signed copy by fax or mail.
School Proclamation
I agree to the contents of the school proclamation and understand that I must print, sign, and send this document to Green Up Our Schools.

Supporting Roles Experience has shown that the work associated with the Green Up Our Schools program is better shared between several people. We ask that the Lead Program Chair is supported by at least one faculty member and one parent at each school. Who will fill these supporting roles at your school?

Faculty Member's Name:		Learn More
Email:		Learn More

Parent's Name:
Email:

How did you hear about Green Up Our Schools?
	Through a friend	Official school district announcement
	Internet Search	Communication with a representative from Green Up Our Schools
	Facebook	Other:

Please note the application cannot be saved before submitting.

Having trouble? For assistance, call 877-452-5237, ext. 133 or email Apply[at]GreenUpOurSchools.org.

Recycling
All schools within the Green Up Our Schools program must recycle the four commonly recycled materials listed below by the end of Year 3: White Classroom/Office Paper Mixed Paper (colored paper, newspaper, etc.) Cans & Bottles (glass, plastic, metal, aluminum, etc.) Corrugated Cardboard
Is your school currently recycling any of the following materials? If not, when do you plan to start recycling them, should you be accepted into the program?

	Recyclable Material	Already Recycling	Will Begin in Year 1	Will Begin in Year 2	Will Begin in Year 3

	White Classroom/Office Paper
	Mixed Paper
	Cans & Bottles
	Corrugated Cardboard
Optional:
	E-waste (printer cartridges, cell phones, iPods, etc.)
	Other:
Clear the Form

For those schools that already have recycling in place, who is your recycling service provider?

Waste Reduction Projects
Each school that is accepted into the program is expected to complete two waste reduction projects per year. Should your school be accepted, please choose the two waste reduction projects you would complete each year of the program, or come up with your own. For those projects that have been completed by other schools, we have put together step-by-step best practices to help guide you through the process. Please take a moment to read through each description to find the one that's the best fit for your school. View the Full List Double-sided Copying Campaign (click for more information) Encourage students & teachers to use both sides of the page. Paper Reuse Boxes (click for more information) Place a box in every classroom and at every copier for paper used on one side. Electronic Communication between Parents, Faculty (click for more information) Send out weekly bulletins to parents & faculty by email instead of printed sheets of paper. Paper Towel Reduction Campaign (click for more information) Encourage students to use "just two pumps" of paper towels. Reusable Dishes for Class Parties (click for more information) Purchase a set of reusable dishes & utensils for classroom parties. Reusable Dishes for the Staff Lounge Stock the faculty room with reusable dishes and utensils for staff lunches. Zero Waste Lunch Campaign (click for more information) Teach students to bring lunches without any disposable packaging. Recycled Purchasing Policy Purchase only recycled paper for the school copy machine and paper towel dispensers. Reusable Silverware in the Lunchroom Eliminate the use of disposable silverware in the lunchroom. Commercial Composting (click for more information) Sign up for commercial composting hauling services.


Year 1 Recommended projects for Year 1 include anything related to reducing paper usage, such as the double-sided copying campaign, scratch paper reuse boxes, etc. Please make sure to choose a project that your school is NOT already doing.
1st waste reduction project:	Descriptions above.
2nd waste reduction project:
Please explain why you chose these two projects. What were your thoughts when you looked over the instructions for each of these projects? Why are these a good fit for your school? What steps, if any, have you already taken towards these goals? If you selected "Other" above, please use this space to describe your project.


Year 2 This is a good time for projects that require a lot of advance planning, such as lunchroom changes and electronic communication between faculty & parents. This allows for preparation in Year 1 and the possibility of carrying the project into Year 3 should more time be needed.
1st waste reduction project:	Descriptions above.
2nd waste reduction project:
Please explain why you chose these two projects. What were your thoughts when you looked over the instructions for each of these projects? Why are these a good fit for your school? What steps, if any, have you already taken towards these goals? If you selected "Other" above, please use this space to describe your project.


Year 3 Recommended projects for Year 3 are those requiring less time, such as reusable classroom party kits or the paper towel reduction project. By this time in the program, part of your energy will be focused on maintaining the first 4 projects from Years 1 and 2.
1st waste reduction project:	Descriptions above.
2nd waste reduction project:
Please explain why you chose these two projects. What were your thoughts when you looked over the instructions for each of these projects? Why are these a good fit for your school? What steps, if any, have you already taken towards these goals? If you selected "Other" above, please use this space to describe your project.



Please use the following space for any additional comments regarding your selections:

Promotional Activities
Each school is asked to form an environmental student group to promote the program. (Learn more.) Do you already have such a group at your school? If not, what will it look like? How will it be formed? How often do you plan to meet, and where?

Should your school be accepted, please select one promotional activity for this student group to carry out during Year 1. If your school is accepted into the program, you will be asked to choose promotional activities for Year 2 and 3 upon the completion of Year 1. Pre-selected boxes are suggestions based on the successes of other elementary schools. Feel free to customize the plan to better fit your individual school.

	Promotional Activities for Students	Year 1

	Kick-off Assembly Give a school-wide assembly or class-to-class presentations to introduce the new recycling program.	Required
	Green Team Form a team of volunteer students to empty & monitor recycling bins each week.	Required
	Promote the Webquest Encourage participation in the inter-school online competition known as the Webquest.	Required
	Promotional Posters Create colorful posters from recycled and/or reused materials to promote the program throughout the school.
	Recycling Contest Hold a school-wide recycling contest to encourage participation.
	Poster Contest Hold a competition for the best recycling poster or slogan.
	Field Trip Organize a student field trip to a recycling facility, composting facility, or landfill.
	Other Feel free to use your own idea for a promotional activity:
	Clear the Form


Please select one promotional activity for the parents & the community for Year 1. (You will be asked to choose promotional activities for Year 2 and 3 upon the completion of Year 1.)

	Promotional Activities for Parents & the Community	Year 1

	PTA Newsletter Place an announcement in the PTA/PTO newsletter about the new program.
	Local News Publish an article in the local newspaper.
	Zero Waste Events Create waste reduction plans for all-school-community events.
	Other Feel free to use your own idea for a promotional activity:
	Clear the Form

Proposed Use of Funds The Green Up Our Schools program is a competitive process. No school is guaranteed admission to the program. Accepted schools will receive $1,000 for the first year of the program, $500 for Year 2, and $500 for Year 3.
1. If your school were to be accepted, please give a brief estimate of how the program funding of $1,000 for Year 1 will be spent:
Should your school be accepted, you will be asked to keep an accounting of how the grant money is spent using this form. You will also be asked to provide a similar budget for Years 2 and 3 upon the completion of Year 1.

2. If your school were to be accepted, to whom should the grant check be made out? The check will be mailed after the acceptance process is complete in September of 2011. It is highly recommended that it be deposited in the school's PTA/PTO fundraising account.
Payable to:
Memo:

Mailed to:
Attention: (if different from above)
Street Address:
City, State, Zip: