Green Up Our Schools

Silver Creek Elementary

Green Up Our Schools member since 2010

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.)	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
Commercial Composting Began a contract for commercial composting services for food & paper waste. Each week, hundreds of pounds of lunchroom waste are hauled from the school to a facility that processes it all back into soil. (Learn more.)	2010-2011
Zero Waste Lunch Campaign Taught students how to bring a lunch from home without any disposable packaging. Created a reward system for kids who brought food in reusable containers with no disposable packaging. (Learn more.)	2010-2011
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.)	2011-2012
Reusable Dishes for Staff Lounge A set of reusable bowls, plates, cups, and silverware in the staff lounge helps reduce the waste created by disposables. (Learn more.)	2011-2012
Year 3
Composting Expanded to Bathrooms Plan to expand commercial composting beyond the lunchroom to capture the paper towels thrown away in the bathrooms every day. Green bins will be placed in bathrooms for collection. (Learn more.)	2012-2013
Paper Towel Reduction Campaign A paper towel reduction campaign raises awareness on the use of paper towels in school, with the goal of reducing consumption. Students create a slogan and track usage patterns. (Learn more.)	2012-2013

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!)*

14%

17%

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.


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We can only think of good things to say about this program. The network is great. Being connected to other schools in the community is really valuable.