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King County Green Schools program success story: Stevenson Elementary School

Success story: Stevenson Elementary School

School District: Bellevue
School Location: Bellevue
Began participating in the Green Schools Program: September 2009

Level One of the Green Schools Program: Achieved in May 2010
Level Two of the Green Schools Program: Achieved in April 2011
Level Three of the Green Schools Program: Achieved in April 2012

Waste reduction and recycling (level one)

  • The school increased its recycling rate from 35 percent to 59 percent.
  • The City of Bellevue partnered with the Green Schools Program to assist Bellevue schools with recycling improvements.
  • The school held a “Green Week” to promote recycling practices and provide recycling facts to the school community.
  • The school’s service team promoted recycling through morning announcements, posters, a newsletter articles for parents and by wearing green to show support for stewardship activities.
  • The school reduced its garbage volume by two yards per week after staff and students started recycling milk cartons and stacking their lunch trays. To facilitate these improved practices, staff created a new cafeteria seating and dismissal plan.
  • Environmental tips about recycling and other conservation practices were broadcast on the school’s daily news broadcast.
  • All classrooms, offices and cafeteria have recycling containers with stickers that list what can and can’t be recycled.
  • Stevenson began to compost all food scraps during the winter of 2010-11, with assistance from the City of Bellevue.
Stevenson Elementary School Green Week poster
Stevenson students created posters to promote recycling and Green Week.
Stevenson Elementary School Green Week poster
Student-created poster encourages students to recycle.
  • In 2010-11, a volunteer student group monitored stations and conducted an outreach campaign which included making posters, and three fourth grade classes participated in a “garbology” workshop.
  • In 2011-12, three classes participated in the City of Bellevue’s “Recycling Basics” workshop.

Energy conservation (level two)

  • Students placed energy conservation labels near all light switches or electrical equipment in the school.
  • Green team members shared energy facts during morning announcements to raise awareness about conserving energy at school and at home.
  • School staff shared information about school energy use with the school community.
  • In its weekly update, staff included a blurb about dressing in layers to conserve heat.

Water conservation and pollution prevention (level three)

  • Two fourth grade classes participated in Nature Vision’s healthy water systems workshop.In November 2011, the school kicked off water conservation efforts at a school wide assembly.
  • A school “chant,” written to promote conservation, was taught to students at a school-wide assembly in December 2011.
  • Posters, stickers and outreach materials about water conservation were distributed to each teacher in the school.
  • Students placed “turn water off” stickers by sinks throughout the school.
  • To raise awareness about conserving water at school and at home, morning announcements were submitted to the front office and read to the school once a month.
  • The green team used the water conservation resource tub materials from the City of Bellevue.
  • Teachers put up posters in their classrooms to promote water conservation.
  • The green team sent email reminders to staff about resource conservation.
  • Fourth graders used the City of Bellevue’s water conservation curriculum materials.

For more information about the school’s conservation achievements and participation in the Green Schools Program, contact:

Stevenson Elementary School
425-456-6000
King County Solid Waste Division mission: Waste Prevention, Resource Recovery, Waste Disposal

Contact Us

 Call: 206-477-4466

TTY Relay: 711

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