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

Level one of the Green Schools Program: Achieved in June 2009

Waste reduction and recycling

• Neely O’Brien Elementary increased its recycling rate from 25 percent to 31 percent.
• Teacher Chandra Reiners’ Green Team students made and distributed to all classrooms and teachers GOOS (Good On One Side) boxes for reusable one-sided paper.
• Two student Green Team members attended a staff meeting and spoke to teachers about increasing school recycling and how easy it is to recycle milk cartons.
• Twelve teachers are currently recycling milk cartons within their classrooms. The student Green Team hopes to persuade the rest of the school community to recycle milk cartons starting in the fall of 2009.
• The Green Team created “go green” posters that were distributed to all teachers to hang in their classrooms.
• Green Team students created and presented a PowerPoint demonstration to educate students about global warming. 
• Green Team students worked to develop a commercial focused on recycling and the environment, modeled on the “priceless” MasterCard commercial.  The Green Team plans to share the commercial with the entire school in the fall of 2009. 
• The Green Team created the “biggest reducer” competition to increase awareness about reducing Neely O’Brien’s current use of many items.  The school-wide competition is between classrooms, and encourages activities such as a “zero waste lunch,” making double sided copies, and using recycled materials.
• Green Team students regularly check all areas of the school to report on waste reduction and recycling practices. 

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

Chandra Reiners, teacher
Chandra.Reiners@kent.k12.wa.us

Jody Metzger, principal
Jo.Metzger@kent.k12.wa.us