School District: Bellevue
School Location: Bellevue
Began participating in the Green Schools Program: September 2008

Level One of the Green Schools Program: Achieved in June 2009
Level Two of the Green Schools Program: Achieved in May 2010
Level Three of the Green Schools Program: Achieved in April 2011

Waste reduction and recycling

• Interlake High School increased its recycling rate from 24 percent to 42 percent.
• Containers for recycling are in all classrooms, the cafeteria and offices, and each recycling container has a sticker that lists what can and can’t be recycled.
• The City of Bellevue partnered with the Green Schools Program to assist Bellevue schools with recycling.
• In 2008-09 the school received a grant to purchase compostable lunch trays for a one week food scrap/food soiled paper collection pilot. Lunch waste was weighed to assess the impact of food scrap recycling. The school held a “Green Week” to promote environmental awareness. Promotional methods included morning announcements and the distribution of posters about recycling.
• To reduce paper use, the school instituted a double-sided copy policy, began using e-mail communication as much as possible and encouraged use of a smaller font size or half sheets whenever practical.
• In April 2011, the environmental club held a “Green Week” which included trash and recycling pick up after school, recycling education, a bike to school day and a trivia game about resource conservation.

Environmental education

• Students from the school’s Green Team volunteered for Mountains to Sound Greenway and worked with YMCA Earth Corps throughout the school year.
• The team invited students to multiple tree planting events throughout the school year and organized carpooling to each event.
• Students planted trees and created a garden on the school campus.
• The Green Team held a “Green Week” to promote environmental awareness, created a power point presentation for the staff meeting and compiled an environmental display case.
• Student Green Team members maintained a Facebook page to educate students about environmental issues, created a PowerPoint presentation about the school’s conservation accomplishments and made posters to invite fellow students to meetings and events.
• The Green Team held a fundraising event to help pay for environmental projects.
• Interlake High School was mentioned in an article on hands-on learning about sustainability for Seattlemag.com external link .

Energy conservation

• The school held an “Energy Week” focused on reducing energy use and educating students about energy conservation.
• Students made frequent morning announcements about energy conservation.
• Students conducted energy patrols to ensure that lights were turned off in unoccupied rooms and that computers and other equipment were turned off after use.
• Student volunteers placed “turn lights off” stickers on all classroom light switches.
• The school community was informed about and encouraged to use energy efficient transportation to and from school.
• Students calculated their carbon footprints.
• From September through December during the 2010-11 school year, Interlake High reduced energy use by almost 11 percent due to energy conservation practices and reduced heating temperature requirements from the district.
• The school has a solar powered hot dog stand for football games.

Litter reduction

• The school established an anti-litter policy.
• As part of a campaign to reduce litter on campus, morning announcements about litter reduction were made.
• Students picked up litter at “work parties” and multiple litter patrol events were held after school.

Water conservation

• Students worked to plant a certified school yard habitat. The Green Team worked with Friends of the Cedar River Watershed to install a rain garden in the spring of 2010 and the Green Team continues to maintain the rain garden.
• The Green Team worked with Sherwood Forest Middle School to stencil storm drains.
• The Green Team participated in a YMCA Earth Service Corps club in the Chinook Bend stream restoration project in Carnation.
• The school held a movie event for local middle and high school students and broadcast the “Watershed Report” from Friends of the Cedar River Watershed in conjunction with City of Bellevue, Cascade Water Alliance and Friends of the Cedar River Watershed.
• The environmental club made resource conservation announcements every Monday.
• Nature Vision presented “Be the Solution” workshops to five 11th and 12th grade classes, as well as one ninth grade class.
• The Green Team used the water conservation resource tub from the City of Bellevue.
• Water conservation lessons are incorporated in some classes.
• Students placed posters about water conservation in hallways and classrooms.
• Students placed “turn water off” stickers by sinks throughout the school.

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

Interlake High School
425-456-7200