School District: Auburn
School Location: Auburn
Began participating in the Green Schools Program: September 2015

Level One of the Green Schools Program: Achieved in May 2016

Waste reduction and recycling (level one)

• Chinook Elementary School increased its recycling rate to 63 percent by collecting compostable materials.
• Custodian Jani May Swift ran a “This is how we do it” event to teach new and returning students how to properly sort recyclable materials, compostable materials, and garbage.
• Monthly emails mentioned any contamination issues in recycling and composting bins, and focused on continual improvement.
• A team of students regularly patrolled the school to pick up litter.
• Another team of students monitored daily sorting and educated the school community through posters and conversations.
• The school asked all classrooms to create a paper reuse box for paper that had been used only on one side.
• To minimize food waste, the school started a share table for unopened, packaged foods and drinks, and invited students to help themselves to those items. A “drink it all or don’t open it” milk campaign helped decrease milk waste.
• Chinook eliminated all disposable foam trays by using durable trays and silverware for lunch and compostable boats for breakfast.

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

Jani May Swift, custodian
jswift@auburn.wednet.edu

Scott Weide, Auburn School District resource conservation manager
sweide@auburn.wednet.edu