GREEN & HEALTHY TRIBAL
SCHOOL WEBINAR SERIES
Peaks to Prairies Pollution Prevention Center
Peaks to Prairies- who we are
A Pollution Prevention Information Center for EPA
Region 8 (MT, WY, ND, SD, UT, CO)
 One of 8 EPA funded Regional Centers whose mission
is to distribute tools and information to businesses,
industries, technical assistance providers, state and
tribal government agencies for the purpose of aiding
in the practice of pollution prevention
 A program under MSU’s Department of Extension –
Housing and Environmental Health- Bozeman
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Housekeeping
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Everyone is muted
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Type questions into question pane
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Presentations will be posted at www.tribalp2.org
Reduce Your Footprint: Waste
Reduction & Recycling in Schools
Peaks to Prairies Pollution Prevention CenterTribal Green and Healthy School Workshop
Overview
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Reduce
 Energy
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Efficiencies, Paper, Lunch, Air Pollutants
Recycle
 Basics
(paper, plastic, cardboard etc.), E-waste,
Mercury
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Special Activities
 Localized
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Fundraisers, Earth Day
Strategies for Success
Why Schools are important
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Can often be the largest waste generator in town
Students are highly motivated and like ‘hands-on’
important work
Builds a future of well-educated consumers and
recyclers by modeling behavior to an age where
they are most likely adopt new behaviors for life
Why School Buildings are Important
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Commercial buildings and industrial facilities generate about
50 percent of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions.
Energy costs represent a typical school district’s second
largest operating expense, after salaries—more than the
cost of computers and textbooks combined.
Energy efficiency is vital to schools in the United States. The
nation’s 17,450 K-12 school districts spend more than $6
billion annually on energy.
Reductions of 10 percent in energy use can be possible with
little or no cost.
Reduce – Energy, water, paper,
lunch waste
Energy Conservation and Efficiency at
Schools
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McKinstry – Tim Tolman
How can schools be more energy efficient?
What is an energy audit and the process for
conducting an audit?
Case studies – Browning School District
Reduce - Paper
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Reduce handouts to parents
 Double
side printing or use ½ sheets
 Daily email announcement and a monthly or bi-weekly
newsletter
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Encourage email or district website postings
 Policy
regarding community bulletins
Reduce – No Waste Lunches
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Consider a recess followed by lunch schedule
Offer versus Served Program
Say NO to Polystyrene
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Provide metal utensils, biodegradable cups and
napkins
No more polystyrene trays or plates
Zero Waste Home Lunches
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Inform parents on how home lunches can be zero
waste
 Avoid
single serving packaging
 Refillable bottles versus juice boxes and containers
 Cloth napkins
 Re-usable containers
 Metal utensils
 Pack it in – Pack it out
Lunch Waste Disposal
Compost and Gardens
Reduce – Water consumption
What are the water consumption habits at your
school?
 Do
your faucets drip?
 Are your bathroom sinks left on?
 Do you have waterless urinals? Low-flow toilets?
 What is your landscaping?
 Are you using salt versus sand on your sidewalks?
Reduce – Air pollutants
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Institute a no-idling policy
 Apply
this to parents as well as buses
RECYCLE – Basics, E-Waste, bulbs
Recycling – Basic Programs
Paper, Plastic, Cardboard, Aluminum, Glass
Steps to Set up Your Recycling Program
1. Form a team
 Find
out who supports recycling
 Consider conducting a survey
 Get permission from principal and include parents,
teachers, facilities staff, cafeteria etc
 Appoint a committee chair
2. Conduct a waste assessment
3. Goals and Actions
 Start
small – pick the recyclable material that makes up
the highest percentage of your waste stream
Setting up your recycling program
4. Figure out where materials will go
 Start
with you current trash hauler
 Is there a city recycling program?
 Are there private recycling companies?
 Consider a district wide collection or can you work with
a local business?
5. Determine how they will be stored
6. Work through your in-school collection system
 Who
and how often?
Recycling – Printer Cartridges
Recycling – E Waste
E-Waste Pollutants
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Cadmium – rechargeable computer batteries and
monitors
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) cabling – circuit boards,
cables, connectors
Mercury – lighting devices in flat screen displays
Lead, beryllium, cobalt, silver, gold, palladium…
State Electronics Challenge
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In 2009, a Source Reduction Grant was awarded to the NE Recycling
Council to introduce and support the State Electronics Challenge in EPA
Region 8
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Good resource for school districts to help manage their electronics responsibly
(i.e. purchasing green computers, energy conservation , proper recycling at the
end of their useful life).
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Voluntary & Free – entities join as Partners
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Partners commit to take action to reduce the environmental footprint of the
computers/electronic commitment
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In return, they receive technical assistance/tools
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As far as I know this program will be continued
SEC 2010 Results
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In its third year, the SEC expanded from its Northeast roots
to serve state, regional, tribal, and local governments in the
Rocky Mountain and Great Lake States. The program grew
from 33 Partners in 10 states at the close of 2009, to 48
Partners in 16 states in December 2010. At the end of
April, there were 63 Partners! In 2010, Partner activities
resulted in significant environmental benefits. These
included:
Saving enough energy to power 5,656 households/year
Avoiding greenhouse gases emissions equivalent to removing
5,535 cars from the road/year
Avoiding the generation of 412,614 lbs of hazardous
waste.
Recycling - Mercury
Special events – opportunities for
change
Party Green
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Disposable cups –vs- Reusable cups and mugs
Bottled water –vs- Pitchers, water stations
Disposable paper plates and utensils –vs- reusable
Tub-o-Dishes
Garbage cans –vs- Recycling Bin
Name tags –vs- Reusable name badges
Local &/or healthy foods –vs- Sugar & processed
Special Activities- Localized
Fundraisers
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Community art-market
Farm to School Fundraiser
Meat / egg shares
Yard sales/ auctions
Local business services or items
Special Activities – Earth Day
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Recycle week contest – bring awareness to the
amount of recyclable materials entering the waste
stream
Re-cycle / re-use drive – collect cell phones, printer
cartridges, batteries
Waste audits – conducted by students
Bike / walk to school
Non-toxic cleaner parties – make and test against
conventional cleaners
Strategies for Success
Start with a Waste Assessment
A general way of looking at a school’s waste
stream
1. Preliminary questions
2. Site Tour
3. Interviews
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Keeping these questions in mind throughout:
 Why
do we purchase this?
 Can we use less of it or use it more efficiently?
 Can we reuse it, recycle it, or compost it?
The goal of conducting a waste
assessment is to:
Document the current waste management
system.
 Estimate the types of wastes generated.
 Identify and prioritize waste reduction, reuse,
recycling and composting opportunities.
 Outline a plan of action.
 Identify measures of success and track
program progress.
 Make program adjustments as necessary.
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Name of School:
Key Contact:
Direct Phone number/extension:
Email:
Number of students in the school:
Number of teachers:
Number of teacher/staff work areas and break rooms:
Number of administrators and other staff:
Cafeteria: Has a kitchen?
Yes
No
Concession Stand?
Yes
No
Vending Machines - How many and where are they located?
Location 1:
Date:
Grade levels:
Number:
Aluminum cans
Plastic bottles
Milk
cartons
Other
Location 2:
Number:
Aluminum cans
Plastic bottles
Milk
cartons
Other
Location 3:
Number:
Aluminum cans
Plastic bottles
Milk
cartons
Other
Are special or hazardous wastes produced by the school? (Such as in the Art rooms, Ceramics Lab, Jewelry
Making Shop, Wood Shop, Automotive Shop, Photography Lab, Vocational Labs, etc.)
Yes
No
If yes, see page 8.
Custodial service
Key Contact:
Phone:
Email:
In-house
Contracted
Frequency of in-school waste collection:
Daily
Every other day
Other:
Waste Hauler:
Key Contact:
Email:
In-house
Municipal service
hauler
Direct
Weekly
Phone:
Contracted/Private
CAFETERIA INFORMATION
Direct Phone number/extension:
How many meals are served each day?
For Breakfast?:
for Lunch:
How is food served?
Reusable plates
Paper plates
Key Contact:
Email:
Do students choose what they want or is food served
with no choice?
Choice
No Choice
If using polystyrene
trays, how many trays
are used each day?
Polystyrene (Styrofoam) plates
No plates
used
Reusable cups/bowls
Paper
cups/bowls
What types of utensils
Polystyrene (Styrofoam) cups/bowls
No cups/bowls are used?
used
Reusable trays
Paper trays
Reusable
Disposable
Polystyrene (Styrofoam) trays
No
Are drinking straws
trays used
provided?
Yes
Other:
No
How are condiments (including
salt and pepper) served?
Bulk dispensers
Individual packets
Combination of both
Describe:
Do students have access to
the napkin holders or is one
napkin provided per meal?
Free access
One per meal
How are drinks served?
Paper-cartons
Plastic bottles (#1
PET)
Plastic bottles (#2 HDPE)
Glass containers
Bulk dispenser, using plastic cups
Bulk dispenser, using paper cups
Bulk dispenser, using reusable, washable glasses
Other:
What types and amounts of packaging is the food delivered in? (Example: meat comes into the cafeteria wrapped in
clear plastic bags, reusable tubs, etc.):
Do vegetables come in tin cans? What size and how many cans are used each day?
How are cheeses and lunch meats packaged?
Is bread delivered as individually wrapped loaves?
List any individually wrapped items served such as chips, muffins, desserts etc?
About how much food waste is generated in the cafeteria each day?
Number of garbage bags each day (Specify bag size):
From cafeteria:
From kitchen:
Strategies for Success – It’s all about
relationships
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Build a team and designate leaders
Students – cater to young and older
Teachers – natural leaders and the key facilitator
of recycling programs and curriculum tie-ins
Obtain support from your School Board,
superintendents, and principals
 That
support is critical for enacting lasting change by
establishing policies for purchasing, cleaning, recycling
etc.
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Building and maintenance staff are a critical part
of many of these discussions
Parents and Community
Educate your children- build these principals into the
culture of your school family
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Incorporate the science of climate change, watershed
processes, water quality, ecosystem functioning into your
curriculum
Inspire change through reading assignments
Encourage action through planned activities and clubs
Incentives
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Save your school money
Grant Sources
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State Environmental Organization and US EPA
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EPA R8 Resource Conservation Challenge Funds - Ben Bents (4 priority areas:
MSW Recycling, Greening Electronics, Industrial Materials Recycling, Priority
Chemicals Reduction)
EPA R8 Source Reduction Grants – Linda Walters
EPA HQ Innovation Initiative (IWG Grant) - Ben Bents
EPA Grants Homepage www.epa.gov/region08/grants/
http://americasgreenestschool.com/
USDA periodically has rural development funds www.rurdev.usda.gov
SEC Challenge
Award Programs & support from the school community
Peaks to Prairies Pollution Prevention
Center
Montana State University
Myla Kelly – Coordinator
406-994-6948
myla.kelly@montana.edu
www.peakstoprairies.org