School District: Federal Way
School Location: Kent
Began participating in the Green Schools Program: May 2010

Level One of the Green Schools Program: Achieved in May 2011

Waste reduction and recycling

• “Star Lake is Going Green” is the theme the school uses to encourage staff and students to protect the environment. From May 2010 to May 2011, the Star Lake green team made significant changes in how the school thinks about and treats the environment.
• Star Lake’s recycling rate increased from 27 percent to 35 percent, thanks to promotion of classroom recycling and a new lunchroom program to collect food scraps, plastic bottles, aluminum cans, and milk and juice cartons to be recycled.
• After starting to recycle food scraps in its lunchroom, the school’s garbage Dumpster size was reduced and garbage service costs decreased by 25 percent.
• Star Lake students and staff members made signs to help students understand what items can be composted and recycled as well as how these practices save natural resources.
• Students are taking the recycling skills learned at school and practicing them at home, which raises parent awareness as well. The students are becoming teachers in their homes.
• The green team shared Star Lake’s conservation successes with families through the school-wide newsletter. In the newsletter, the team also included tips on how the community can become better stewards of the environment.

Comments

“Students at Star Lake are excited to be making the world a better and cleaner place to live.” – Jaime Baune, teacher

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

Jaime Baune, teacher
jbaune@fwps.org