Green Up Our Schools

College Park Elementary

Green Up Our Schools member from 2008 to 2012

During the 3 years of the program, each school creates their own "green" plan to recycle more and waste less.

View photos of all the green activities in action.


Waste Reduction Projects Each school must complete a minimum of two waste reduction projects per year. Click on each title to view a more detailed description.

Year 1
Student Green Team Formed a group of eco-minded students to take on the responsibility of the recycling program and carry out green activities. (Learn more.)	2008-2009
Recycling Program Started a recycling program for the school, with recycling bins in every classroom & all the common areas. (Learn more.)	2008-2009
Electronic Faculty Communication Staff bulletins converted to electronic format, saving 36,000 sheet of paper per year. (Learn more.)	2008-2009
Worm Bin Composting Implemented classroom worm composting bins for vegan food waste, constructed in 14-gallon containers kept indoors. Students are able to witness the decomposition process firsthand as food turns into soil. (Learn more.)	2008-2009
Paper Towel Reduction Campaign Introduced "3 pump rule," reduced paper towel usage from 6 boxes to 4 boxes per month (16 rolls). (Learn more.)	2008-2009
Print Cartridge Recycling This is the DEFAULT DESCRIP. (Learn more.)	2008-2009
Walmart Plastic Bag Recycling Participated in Walmart's plastic bag recycling fundraiser. (Learn more.)	2008-2009
Year 2
Zero Waste Classroom Party Kits Created Zero Waste Classroom Party Kits, a set of reusable dishes designed to eliminate the need for disposable plates, cups, and utensils during class festivities. (Learn more.)	2009-2010
Recycling Flag School recycling flag passed around each week to the classroom with the best recycling. (Learn more.)	2009-2010
Field Trip - CMSD Took a free field trip to a landfill and a recycling center through the Costa Mesa Sanitary District. (Learn more.)	2009-2010
Year 3
Lunch Tray Recycling Created a system for recycling clean cardboard lunch trays. (Learn more.)	2010-2011
Worm Bin Composting Implemented classroom worm composting bins for vegan food waste, constructed in 14-gallon containers kept indoors. Students are able to witness the decomposition process firsthand as food turns into soil. (Learn more.)	2010-2011
Terracycle Upcycling Collected common lunchroom waste items such as Capri Sun pouches and mailed them in for recycling. Terracycle provides pre-paid shipping labels and pays per item collected. (Learn more.)	2010-2011
Flash Mob for Recycling Left a plastic bottle in a conspicuous location while green team members watched incognito. When someone picked it up to put it in the recycling bin, the green team started cheering and parading around with recycling posters. (Learn more.)	2010-2011
Zero Waste Lunch Campaign Worked with Inside the Outdoors to create a lunch waste collection system, on the way to being a Zero Waste facility. (Learn more.)	2010-2011
Year 4
Field Trip - Beach Clean-Up Took a field trip through the Surfrider Foundation to clean up trash on Newport Beach. (Learn more.)	2011-2012

Waste Assessment Results

Every school in the program performs at least one waste assessment every year. This activity helps to show progress made and areas that still need improvement.

Percentage of Trash categorized as Recyclable (Lower is better!)*
	46%	22%	25%	17%	33%	27%	3%
	2008 (Fall)	2009 (Spring)	2010 (Spring)	2010 (Fall)	2011 (Spring)	2011 (Fall)	2012 (Spring)
Year
*The presence of recyclable materials in the trash means students & teachers are not correctly sorting items they throw away. The lower the percentage, the more successful the recycling program.


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Monthly phone calls are great, keeps everything on the top of my to-do list. I feel very supported. It's nice to know that Patty will call someone for me.