School District: Northshore
School Location: Bothell
Began participating in the Green Schools Program: January 2010

Level One of the Green Schools Program: Achieved in June 2010
Level Two of the Green Schools Program: Achieved in June 2012
Level Three of the Green Schools Program: Achieved in May 2015
2015-2016 Sustaining Green School (Level Four): Achieved in May 2016

Sustaining green school (level four) – 2015-16

• The school made a recycling tips video that was shown to the entire school to increase recycling and decrease contamination.
• The Environmental Club
  • posted “cougar paws” around the school with tips on sustainable practices.
  • placed green tips and facts in the school newspaper.
  • partnered with Puget Sound Peacekeepers to help clean up some local beaches.
  • held an earth friendly gift wrapping station in December to reduce waste from holiday presents. The event was held in the cafeteria, and the club wrapped gifts with recycled paper, brown paper bags, newspapers, and magazines instead of new wrapping paper.
• The school sustained its Level Two (energy conservation) and Level Three (water conservation and pollution prevention) practices.

Waste reduction and recycling (level one)

• Classroom recycling efforts improved when recycling bins with informational stickers listing what can and can’t be recycled were placed throughout the school.
• In 2010-11, the school began to recycle bottles and cans in its lunchroom.
• Teacher Amanda Rainwater’s Earth Club emptied recycling bins, educated students and monitored lunchroom recycling efforts. The club also monitored monthly garbage and recycling levels and was responsible for calculating the school’s recycling rate.
• In April 2012, Bothell High held a school clean-up on Earth Day and a “Native Plant Rescue” party.
• In 2013-14, the Earth Club created and shared videos about contamination in recycling bins and the importance of properly sorting waste.
• The student Green Team sold reusable water bottles and asked students to use  the school’s hydration station, which is a water fountain designed to make it easy to fill reusable water bottles.  The Green Team also educated students on the environmental impact of disposable water bottles.
• Each of Amanda Rainwater’s students carried around black garbage bags for a week and filled the bags with their own trash in order to show how much garbage was generated by each person.
• The Earth Club hosted a screening of “Bag It,” a documentary focused on the damaging effects of plastic bags.
• Students created posters to put up around the school about the recycling program.
• Leadership team members coordinated with the school newspaper about reducing the number of newspaper copies produced.
• Earth Club members sent reminders to staff about easy ways to reduce and reuse paper in their classrooms.
• The school enlisted the help of students in detention to empty recycling bins on a regular basis.

Energy conservation (level two)

• The school installed solar panels in spring 2012.
• Students and teachers worked with the custodial staff to manually turn off lights each evening and especially before breaks.
• Students educated the school community about energy conservation through announcements, as well as the celebration of Earth Hour.
• The Earth Club posted “Turn off lights in unoccupied rooms” signs above classroom light switches to encourage students and staff to conserve energy.

Water conservation and pollution prevention (level three)

• The entire school watched videos created by the Earth Club about water conservation issues such as impacts of car washes, the quantity of water used to manufacture many everyday products, and the benefits of reusable water bottles.
• To encourage students and staff to conserve water, the Earth Club placed “Turn off faucet when soaping hands” signs in bathrooms.
• Bothell High School’s new building design included a rain garden in the courtyard, and the landscaping consists of drought tolerant and native plants that reduce the need for irrigation.
• Low-flow faucets and toilets were installed as part of the school’s green building design. The student Earth Club hung “Down for Brown, Up for Yellow” signs above low-flow toilets to help students properly use the low-flow technology to conserve water.
• Foaming soap dispensers were used in school bathrooms to conserve water use.

Comments

"Without the organizational support of Green Schools our new recycling program would not have been nearly as successful. Many teachers and students are so grateful to have all the extra bins and a regular schedule of removal of recycled items. Thank you, King County Green Schools Program!"
– Amanda Rainwater, teacher

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

Amanda Rainwater, teacher
arainwater@nsd.org

Bob Stewart, principal
btewart@nsd.org