One of the goals of the CRS PTA is to help
CRS become an environmentally friendly school, by June 2009 -- led by a Green Team with student, faculty, parent, & staff participation—that conserves resources, reduces waste, recycles, and engages in proactive environmental stewardship. [PTA Strategic Plan]
The School itself, has the goal of helping students
…understand and model the important attributes that people must have to contribute to an effective and productive community and the common good of all through the implementation of a school-wide recycling program. Student leader programs, teacher initiatives, and the PTA will all contribute to school-wide participation with the recycling effort. [School Improvement Plan]
Instilling environmental awareness/building a stewardship ethic and creating the ability to make choices that benefit the environment is truly a multi-faceted, multi-disciplinary task. Luckily, in the CRS parent, teacher, student communities, we have a wealth of expertise, energy, ideas, and resources that we can draw upon.
Indeed, the PTA’s Strategic Plan already identifies some specific concepts for the team, including
Green Team meets quarterly and communicates with PTA, SCA, and Teacher Leadership Team on priority actions for recycling, energy savings, and waste prevention.
Conduct an environmental audit of school building & send Environmentally Preferable Purchasing requests (i.e. replacing styrofoam café trays) to FCPS.
And the School’s Improvement Plan Team recently developed the following ideas for the Green Team:
Create weekly announcements to broadcast on the school’s morning news.
Create a monthly section in the Churchill Chatter including recycling tips.
Develop information to help teach the kids what happens to material to be recycled after it leaves the school and why this helps the earth.
In addition, a group of teachers and parents recently met to start brainstorming more ideas:
4th grade: Composting 'business' project (using rotating drum composters--need some $$). This would be an interesting "pilot project" to see how/if one grade could separate their biodegradable food from the general trash at lunch and make compost.
1st grade: worm raising project, tied in with their science unit
2nd grade: more milkweed seeding this year in the B&B garden.
Promote having a one-sided "reuse" paper box in each classroom.
In teacher workrooms, have reusable paper available in a box right by each copier,
for re-use as 1-sided copies. Also provide boxes for colored paper scraps to avoid expensive waste, like the art room does.
Develop a 'positive message' sign to place above each copier to promote paper conservation.
Green Club. Possible after-school activity for spring (maybe for grades 4-6). Would need faculty advisor, parent support/leadership.
Help enhance &maintain school habitats and gardens. Work with students, encourage parents to volunteer to keep our outdoor classroom program vibrant and healthy.
Recycling logistics: ensure all new &returning students/staff understand CRS recycling. Signs are posted around the building. CRS recycles clean, empty aluminum cans, clean empty, cap-less plastic bottles with necks, and mixed paper. There is one bin for glass in the office near the teacher mailboxes. 2 sets of outdoors bins for rear of school (1 set near track, other between gazebo &mod?; estimated cost = $500).
Promote the new color-based recycling system: BOTTLE in BLUE BIN (all begin with B) CAN in GREEN BIN (all end with N) . In the cafeteria and workrooms now, GRAY is for GARBAGE. Classrooms still use their large/small blue rectangular bins for mixed paper. Please keep them next to the trash cans, so it's easy for kids to practice/make the right choice. Many large blue recycling cans on wheels have also been added to ensure workrooms have enough mixed paper recycling capacity (thank you very much, Don!).
Older classes are needed to make clear signs (WORD SIGN TEXT: "BOTTLES w/ NECKS. NO CAPS, PLEASE." (PICTURE SIGN: an empty, capless bottle) . These will be affixed to 8 bottle receptacles with contact paper. Need 8 smaller signs (w/ words "CAN, CLEAN" and picture of a can) for the can receptacles.
We need to tell people of the color coding, and remind all of CRS recycling practices.
Eat Locally. Students plant fall overwintering crops in raised beds and/or greenhouses (contingent on teacher/parent volunteer capacity &interest).
Native species awareness: Promote through curriculum and Outdoor Odyssey activities this year.
Earth Science Week is October 12-19. Earth Day is April 22. Plan something catchy to focus eco-awareness for each month.
SCA would like to remain involved, after they are organized by end of Oct.
CRS could participate in a printer cartridge recycling program.
We aim to enhance and contribute to, not duplicate, Outdoor Odyssey activities. Likewise, we reinforce the PBS-- at CRS we respect property.
Potential income: J. Forte Grant (County, up to $500).; possible reusable "green" water bottle fundraiser (cost $2, sell @ $5). If a serious fundraiser were needed, could order recycled poly grocery totes w/CRS green logo (cost $4, sell @ $10 or 3 for $20)
Additionally, parent volunteers for the Green Team were solicited during the school’s Open House and Back to School nights.
The first challenge is to organize Green Team, which will in some way be responsible for evaluating, prioritizing, communicating, and supporting implementation of the many possible activities. Such activities range from supporting the school’s paper, plastic, and cardboard recycling (e.g., buying outdoor recycling bins); to creating a green school ethic. Unlike traditional PTA Committees, this team will likely require greater participation by CRS staff (administration, teachers, & building management) because many activities are likely to involve day-to-day operations of the school and purchasing.