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King County Green Schools program success story: Tahoma School District

Success story: Tahoma School District

Number of schools in the district: 8
Began Participating in the Green Schools Program: October 2007

Green School District, Level One: Achieved in May 2010
Green School District, Level Two: Achieved in June 2012
Green School District, Level Three: Achieved in June 2012

Overview

  • Throughout the district, sustainability and environmental education are integrated into the curriculum at every grade level. Environmental education tools include field trips and use of school grounds to plant and maintain gardens.
  • Each school has a teacher or custodian who serves as a Green Team lead, and each school has a student Green Team.
  • The Green Team leads from each school and district staff meet regularly to share successes and challenges, and to plan district-wide conservation and education activities.
  • The district established and enforces conservation policies and procedures in all school facilities, and all utility bills are monitored by district staff and reported to the school board each month.
  • Each of the district’s eight schools has participated in and received assistance from the King County Green Schools Program. Glacier Park Elementary, Lake Wilderness Elementary, Rock Creek Elementary, Shadow Lake Elementary, Tahoma Middle School, Cedar River Middle School, Tahoma Junior High, and Tahoma Senior High have involved their students and staff in waste reduction, recycling and other conservation practices.

Waste reduction and recycling (level one)

  • The Tahoma School District was the first school district in King County to  complete Level One of the King County Green Schools Program.
  • All of the district’s eight schools have been recognized by King County as Level One Green Schools. Glacier Park Elementary School was the first school in the district to participate in the program, leading the way for the other seven schools in the district to do the same.
  • Five of the district’s eight schools recycle their food scraps and food soiled paper, which Cedar Grove Composting facility collects and composts.
  • Glacier Park Elementary, the first school in the district to add organics collection, increased its recycling rate from 10 percent to 68 percent by recycling paper, bottles, cans, cartons and organic materials.
  • Due to increased recycling and decreased garbage volumes, the district reduced its garbage disposal costs by 24 percent – a total of $25,000 – when comparing September to April 2007-08 costs to September through April 2009-10 costs.
  • To reduce paper use, the district has a double-sided photocopying and printing policy, and purchased a fax machine that prints double-sided pages. A voice mail system is used to send district-wide messages to parents.
Mike Maryanski, superintendent of the Tahoma School District receives a Certificate of Recognition.
Dale Alekel, program manager of the Green Schools Program, gives a Certificate of Recognition to Mike Maryanski, superintendent of the Tahoma School District at a district event in May 2010.
Shadow Lake Elementary School
Green Team students with new classroom recycling bins.
Tahoma High School, Earth Heroes at School Award
Cort Hammond, student, receives the King County award in April 2011.
  • To avoid food waste, prior to the end of the school year the district’s food service team uses up all food that would otherwise become inedible over the summer or reach expiration dates before September.
  • Durable trays are used in every school, and compostable cardboard trays are used only when necessary.

Energy conservation (level two)

  • The district completed actions required to receive recognition as a Level Two King County Green School District.
  • All eight schools in the district received recognition as Level Two King County Green Schools after completing required energy conservation actions.
  • Students and staff in these schools learned why energy conservation is important, and became engaged in actions such as turning off lights in unoccupied spaces and turning off equipment after use.
  • Tahoma School District has a district-wide policy to restrict use of supplemental or personal space heats, refrigerators and other appliances in classrooms and offices, and district-wide policy for shutting down heating and cooling equipment on weekends and whenever the school facilities are closed.

Water conservation and pollution prevention (level three)

  • The district completed actions required to receive recognition as a Level Three King County Green School District.
  • Six schools in the district – Glacier Park Elementary, Cedar River Middle, Tahoma Junior High, Tahoma Middle School, Lake Wilderness Elementary and Shadow Lake Elementary – have completed Level Three school criteria.
  • The district uses water-efficient irrigation practices, selects drought-tolerant plants, and is working to establish rain gardens at several schools.
  • Faucets have motion sensors, and the district purchases water-efficient equipment such as high-efficiency pre-rinse spray heads for kitchen wash stations.
  • The district has a system in place for regularly checking, reporting and correcting water leaks.

Awards

  • 2013 Green Leader District award from Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. The award is based on criteria established by the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School award program, and recognizes the district for achievements in Pillar 1 (reduced environmental impact and costs) and Pillar 3 (effective environmental and sustainability education).
  • In April 2012, Tahoma Senior High received a Green Leader School award from the State of Washington.
  • Tahoma Senior High student Cort Hammond received a King County Earth Hero at School award in April 2011.
  • Glacier Park Elementary’s head custodian, Connie Jo Erickson, and teacher Cathy Haws each received a King County Earth Hero at School award in April 2010.
  • The Cedar River Middle School Green Team received a King County Earth Hero at School award in April 2010.
  • Tahoma Senior High School Green Team won the President’s Environmental Youth Award from Region 10 of the United States Environmental Protection Agency in 2010.
  • The Glacier Park Elementary Green Team received a King County Earth Hero at School award in 2008.
  • Glacier Park Elementary received a greenhouse and $1,000 from the Washington State Potato Commission.

For more information about this district’s participation in the King County Green Schools Program, contact:

Lori Cloud, executive assistant to the Superintendent
lcloud@TahomaSD.US

Related Information

June 12, 2012
King County Green Schools Program honors 64 schools, 2 districts for conservation

June 4, 2010
King County recognizes Tahoma School District for strides in waste reduction and recycling
Tahoma first district to achieve Level One of the Green Schools Program

King County Solid Waste Division mission: Waste Prevention, Resource Recovery, Waste Disposal

Contact Us

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