School District: Bellevue
School Location: Bellevue
Began participating in the Green Schools Program: September 2009

Level One of the Green Schools Program: Achieved in May 2010
Level Two of the Green Schools Program: Achieved in April 2011
Level Three of the Green Schools Program: Achieved in April 2012

Waste reduction and recycling (level one)

• Woodridge Elementary has a recycling rate of 57 percent.
• The Green Team started a milk carton recycling program and helped to monitor recycling stations during lunch. The school also began to stack trays in the cafeteria. Thanks to these new practices, Woodridge reduced its annual garbage volume by 433 cubic yards and approximately 7,050 gallons of recyclable materials are collected each year.
• Staff members make daily announcements during lunch time to remind students about recycling.
• All classrooms, offices and cafeteria have recycling containers with stickers listing what can and can’t be recycled.
• The Green Team shared tips about recycling and waste reduction on the school’s daily news broadcast. The team also promoted recycling practices through regular morning announcements, a newsletter article for parents and by creating a logo and t-shirts.
• The school’s Green Team meets monthly to plan events for the school community.
• Green Team members helped lead a school assembly about Earth Day, created posters in the lunch room and also hung a banner on the school stairwell to remind students what materials they can recycle.
• Woodridge began to compost all food scraps during the winter of 2010, with assistance from the City of Bellevue.
• Student group monitored lunchroom stations and conducted an outreach campaign.

• Students and staff reduced garbage from 16 cubic yards per week to 12 cubic yards per week.
• Three third grade classes participated in Nature Vision’s recycling basics workshop.
• The school signed up for a waste reduction and recycling assembly to educate students and staff about what is and isn’t recyclable.
• Four classes participated in the City of Bellevue’s “Rethink and Reuse” workshop.

Energy conservation (level two)

• Students placed energy conservation labels near all light switches in the school.
• The green team dissiminated information at assemblies through green team announcements, as well as presenters from the green team.
• Students created an energy conservation patrol to check classrooms and make sure lights and computers are turned off when they are not needed.
• The green team added energy conservation tips to the school website.

Water conservation and pollution prevention (level three)

• Four fourth grade classes participated in Nature Vision’s healthy water systems workshop.
• The green team used the water conservation resource tub from the City of Bellevue.
• Signs about saving water during hand washing routines were created and posted near restrooms.
• Notices about water conservation were posted above or next to bathroom and classroom sinks.
• Fifth grade students visited the local Cedar River Watershed.
• Fifth grade students studied water conservation.

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

Woodridge Elementary School
425-456-6200