Success story: Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart
School District: Private
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 June 2010
Waste reduction
- The student Green Team at Forest Ridge created a video about reducing paper and showed the video to the school.
- The school promoted its policy of making double-sided photocopies, and staff is following that policy.
- The school expanded use of “GOOS” (Good On One Side) paper for students to use in classrooms.
- The student Green Team created paper reuse boxes for classroom printers. Paper printed on one side is used for draft copies.
- Email communication is used as much as possible.
- In the cafeteria, condiments are served in bulk containers and reusable silverware is available.
- The student Green Team made reusable wrapping “bags” for the holidays.
Recycling
- The school’s recycling rate increased from 33 percent to 70 percent.
- In the school cafeteria and kitchen, food scraps are collected for composting collection.
- Recycling containers were placed in the cafeteria and in all classrooms and offices. Stickers listing what can and can’t be recycled are on all recycling containers.
- Student Environmental Club members promoted recycling through a “Green Week.” They created posters, included recycling facts in morning announcements and showed a video about reducing the use of plastic bags.
- Environmental Club members also made classroom presentations about recycling, and showed samples of recycled content products to illustrate what companies do with the materials that are recycled at the school.
- Unwanted CDs were collected for recycling.
Energy conservation
- The student Green Team created a video about how to conserve energy at school, and showed it to the student body.
- The Green Committee created “lights out” signs and placed them on all light switches throughout the school.
- Energy conservation was promoted during “Green Week.”
Environmental education
- The student Green Team started the “Stall Talk” program that places environmental facts on doors in bathroom stalls.
- A green educational group was added to the Ethics Conference.
- Student Green Team organized an eco-fashion show to raise awareness of alternative clothing options.
- A “Green Bucks” campaign was started to encourage green practices. Whenever students were seen making a green choice, they were given a “Green Buck.” The class with the most Green Bucks won a prize.
- The school’s Green Committee is working on a green website to be launched during 2010-11 on the Forest Ridge website.
- The Green Team is working toward creating a faculty training session about technology and going paperless.
Awards
- Forest Ridge won the City of Bellevue’s “Recycler of the Year” award in 2009.
- Teacher Heather Mirczak received a King County “Earth Hero at School” award in 2009.
For more information about this school’s conservation achievements and participation in the Green Schools Program, contact:
Heather Mirczak, teacher
heathermi@forestridge.org