Contact: Caitlin Meaney
Program Coordinator
Phone: (603)736.4401 ext. 17
cmeaney@nrra.net
2101 Dover Road
Epsom, NH 03234
www.nrra.net
NORTHEAST RESOURCE
RECOVERY ASSOCIATION
PRESS RELEASE
NRRA School CLUB’s “Outstanding Recycling Innovation in a School”
AWARD ANNOUNCED
At NRRA Annual Conference in Manchester, NH
EPSOM, NH - The Northeast Resource Recovery Association (NRRA) is pleased to recognize the Bicentennial
Green Team, Bicentennial Elementary School, Nashua, NH with the “2012-2013 Outstanding Recycling
Innovation in a School” Award.
One of the interests shared by every member of NRRA and the School CLUB is that of increasing recycling rates
in our towns and communities. Historically, recycling rates across the country have been fairly static for some
time. Our next award honors efforts to break that gridlock in new and innovative ways.
The 4th and 5th graders of the Bicentennial Elementary School Green Team have recently expanded their work
from strictly recycling to working on broader sustainability and conservation concerns. The Green Team has,
in the past several years, sponsored and lead waste sorts at their school, conducted energy and water audits,
expanded their recycling program to include plastics and aluminum, collected books as a fundraiser for their
outdoor classroom and started a food scraps composting program on site. These efforts have expanded the
schools recycling rate from 13% to 23% in the last year. However, perhaps their greatest innovation has been
their “Green Yard Sale”. Three years ago, members of the Bicentennial Green Team decided to sponsor a
recycling and education day. From that day was born the “Its Easy Being Green Yard Sale.” The yard sale is an
opportunity for the school community to recycle “gently used” goods, which generate funds used to maintain
their Outdoor Classroom. Household goods, toys, and clothing are collected from the community. The Green
Team distributes flyers and places ads in the local newspapers. Using the Yard Sale as an opportunity to
educate the public, the Green Team also sells a number of items at cost, including rain barrels, reusable water
bottles, recycling and compost bins, green lunch bags, and composting worms. While parents shop, the Green
Team leads activities for kids including making recycled bookmarks, painting rocks, and a recycled items
miniature golf course. Unsold items are donated to local re-use charities and the event raises between $600
and $800 per year. In true NRRA School CLUB fashion, the Green Team is “changing long held beliefs of adults
and they know, through direct involvement, that their attention and actions make a difference in the world.”
This award was presented at the NRRA School CLUB’s 4th Annual School Recycling Conference and Expo on
June 4th at the Radisson Hotel in Manchester, NH. The Conference & Expo was a great opportunity for
students, teachers and administrators who are interested in learning more about school recycling, expanding
their programs, increasing the efficiency of their current program, adding recycling education to their
curricula’s, exchange ideas, share philosophies, and further promote waste reduction efforts.
A special thanks to NH the Beautiful for sponsoring the School Recycling Conference and for their continued
support of school recycling in New Hampshire. They recently awarded The Club a $17,500 grant to help
expand our school outreach programs.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MORE
32ND ANNUAL NORTHEAST RECYCLING CONFERENCE & EXPO
PAGE 2
The School Recycling Club (The Club) is a program for all schools in the Northeast and is supported by NRRA
and NHtB. For students and teachers in grades K-12, THE CLUB serves as a centralized organization to become
more active in the world of recycling. THE CLUB is a fun and innovative way to give kids encouragement,
direction, and networking possibilities for school recycling programs.
The NRRA is a proactive, non-profit cooperative working with its membership to make their recycling
programs strong, efficient and financially successful. For more information, visit www.nrra.net. For highresolution pictures, please email info@nrra.net or call (603) 736-4401.
Members of the Bicentennial Green
Team receiving their award
2013 School Conference Supporters: NH the Beautiful, idea180, WinCycle, Toter/Wastequip, Seacoast Science
Center, Bobcat NH
2013 Conference Partners: Earth Share New England, National Recycling Coalition, Inc., NH the Beautiful,
Northern New England SWANA, and MassRecycle.
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