Success story: Woodinville High School
School District: Northshore
School Location: Woodinville
Began participating in the Green Schools Program: April 2009
Level One of the Green Schools Program: Achieved in May 2011
Waste reduction and recycling
- Recycling bins replaced cardboard boxes in every classroom and common area throughout the school. Bins were labeled with stickers listing what can and can’t be recycled.
- The 60-member Earth Club took a lead role promoting waste reduction and recycling throughout the school. The club researched and published green facts in the school’s daily bulletin, created recycling signs and gave classroom presentations. The club also hosted a green week during which they provided recycling presentations in the lunchroom.
- The student group ACT collects and separates the school’s recyclable materials. This includes the collection of large quantities of paperback books and newspapers from throughout the school district. These materials are then grouped, baled if needed, and sold, enabling the students to practice life skills while reducing school waste.
- School administration and custodians worked with the Earth Club to initiate a recycling program in the lunchroom. Garbage and recycling containers were attached to each other to create stations throughout the lunchroom.
- In addition to making regular announcements about recycling, the Earth Club created a slogan comprised of the letters CBC -- for cans, bottles, and cartons. The club’s slogan succeeded in attracting attention: the club hung posters of just those letters, interviewed students about the letters, and repeated the letters over and over to encourage students to focus on recycling those items in the lunchroom. The club also created a video which was shown at a school-wide assembly.
- To reduce paper use, staff made a paper reuse box for the copy machine area so that paper that’s only been used on one side can be used to make copies.
Other conservation actions
- The Earth Club created a native plant garden. Students researched native plants and worked with a parent volunteer, a landscape architect, and the school construction workers to plan and create the garden.
- The Earth Club hosted monthly campus clean ups and worked with the City of Woodinville to host a street clean up.
- For Earth Day faculty and staff were encouraged to participate in “half-lights out” to conserve energy. When natural light provided adequate lighting, half of the lights in each room were turned off.
For more information about the school’s conservation achievements and participation in the Green Schools Program, contact:
Rachel Torrie, teacher
rtorrie@nsd.org
Gary Thurman, Earth Club advisor
gthurman@nsd.org
Vicki Puckett, principal
vpuckett@nsd.org