King County Green Schools Program helps Vashon schools to conserve resources and save money

2005 Archived News

The Vashon Island School District is participating in the King County Green Schools Program, which assists schools and school districts to conserve natural resources, save money and become better stewards of the environment.

"Vashon School District is committed to finding ways to conserve natural resources and save money," said Dr. Mimi Walker, Superintendent of the Vashon Island School District. "We believe this program reflects the values of our community and sends a positive message to our young people about the importance of conservation."

The district has identified four areas to focus on for the 2004-2005 school year: (1) waste reduction and recycling; (2) energy conservation; (3) hazardous waste management and reduction; and (4) water conservation. The King County Green Schools Program is assisting district staff to improve their performance in each area.

"King County is pleased to help the Vashon School District to expand its recycling practices and conserve resources," said Theresa Jennings, King County Solid Waste Division Director. "Over the past two years, we've worked with three school districts and more than 50 individual schools in King County to reduce their solid waste, improve their recycling programs and save money through conservation of resources."

To improve recycling, the King County Green Schools Program provided the high school, elementary school, and middle school with recycling signs and new classroom recycling containers. At the high school and middle school, the King County Green Schools Program provided containers for plastic bottle recycling in the cafeterias, and helped to promote the recycling program to students and staff. The overall goal is to reduce the amount of garbage produced by each school, thereby reducing disposal costs for the school district.

King County referred the district to Puget Sound Energy, which provided the Vashon School District with a software program to track energy and water use (and expenses) as well as garbage disposal volumes and costs. Such monitoring of utility bills is the first step to reducing costs associated with energy, water and solid waste. As part of the district's participation in Puget Sound Energy's Resource Conservation Manager Program, the utility audited district facilities and identified a number of strategies to reduce energy such as turning down water heaters, adding weather stripping, and turning unneeded equipment off during holiday breaks and non-school hours.

King County is helping the district to safely dispose of and manage hazardous materials such as photography and science lab chemicals. Earlier this year, the Local Hazardous Waste Management Program in King County provided recommendations regarding the district's chemical management practices.

King County recently provided the district with a professional water audit of the high school. The audit provided the district with a series of recommendations for water conservation designed to reduce water consumption. The district has repaired water leaks at the high school and is planning on adding faucet aerators. In addition, Water District 19 has agreed to underwrite an audit of the district's irrigation system this spring.

For information about the King County Green Schools Program, call Dale Alekel at 206-296-8457 or visit www.metrokc.gov/dnrp/swd/greenschools/.