Green Up Our Schools

Force Elementary

Green Up Our Schools member from 2009 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.)	2009-2010
Paper Towel Reduction Campaign Launched a campaign to raise awareness on the use of paper towels in school, creating a slogan and tracking usage patterns. (Learn more.)	2009-2010
Double-Sided Copying Campaign Emphasized the importance of conserving paper by printing on both sides of the page whenever possible. Students created an education campaign and tracked actual paper usage. (Learn more.)	2009-2010
Year 2
Reusable Dishes for Staff Lounge Placed a set of reusable bowls, plates, cups, and silverware in the staff lounge to reduce the waste created by disposables. (Learn more.)	2010-2011
Reusable Trays in the Lunchroom Eliminated the use of disposable Styrofoam trays in the lunchroom, replacing them with washable, reusable plastic trays. (Learn more.)	2010-2011
Scratch Paper Reuse Boxes Scratch paper reuse boxes are for paper that had only been used on one side. Placed in every classroom, they help promote paper conservation and save costs for the school. (Learn more.)	2010-2011
Year 3
Paper Towel Reduction Campaign Replaced the paper towel dispenser in an upstairs bathroom with an air hand dryer to demonstrate the feasibility, even saved their school money. (Learn more.)	2011-2012
Reusable Silverware in the Lunchroom Dishwasher broke; pursuing funds for a new one. (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!)*

60%

21%

51%

66%

2009
(Spring)

2010
(Spring)

2010
(Fall)

2011
(Spring)

2011
(Fall)

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.


Back to All Schools

We started with one thing back in 2009: recycling. Then it evolved into so much more. The program is flexible enough to let us expand wherever we wanted to go. Now look at us -- we're composting in the lunchroom and the bathrooms, and our bins are overflowing!