By making significant strides in reducing the impacts that each of its 27 schools have on the environment, the Bellevue School District has earned recognition as a Level One King County Green School District.
As of June, every school in the district completed Level One of the Green Schools Program, which focuses on waste reduction and recycling. Additionally, this month 15 district schools completed Level Two, which involves energy conservation practices.
Private schools in the Bellevue-area achieving Level One status include Eton School and the Jewish Day School of Metropolitan Seattle. Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart received Level Two status.
The program has three levels, each of which engage the entire school community in learning about sustainability and improving conservation practices.
Sponsored by the King County Solid Waste Division, the Green Schools Program provides tools and support to school districts and schools to help them practice resource conservation and engage students and staff in environmental stewardship.
The district asked all of its 27 schools to participate in the Green Schools Program, and communicated the district’s resource conservation policies and procedures to all staff. Recycling containers are set up in district offices, as well as in all schools, and district staff monitor garbage and recycling volumes districtwide.
The city of Bellevue, which has been working with the district for more than 10 years to roll out and improve waste prevention and recycling opportunities, partnered with King County to provide recycling assistance, outreach, signage and recycling containers needed by Bellevue schools to enhance their recycling programs.
Through a grant from the Washington State Department of Ecology, the city provided funding for the district to pilot an organics collection program, whereby food scraps and food soiled paper from 16 elementary schools are collected and composted by Cedar Grove Composting facility.
Level One schools complete at least one paper reduction practice, one waste reduction practice in the lunchroom, and one practice involving durable products or bulk dispensers. They also conduct outreach to encourage students to reduce waste and recycle, and involve students and staff in learning about the environment and what each person can do to conserve resources.
The 12 schools that received recognition for completing Level One of the King County Green Schools Program are: Ardmore Elementary School; Bennett Elementary School; Clyde Hill Elementary School; Eastgate Elementary School; Enatai Elementary School; International School; Phantom Lake Elementary School; Robinswood School; Spiritridge Elementary School; Stevenson Elementary School; Tillicum Middle School; and Woodridge Elementary School.
Schools that complete Level Two help to conserve energy use by engaging in simple actions, such as turning off lights in unoccupied spaces, turning off equipment after use, keeping heating vents free of books and other items, and teaching students and staff why energy conservation is important.
The 15 schools that were recognized for completing Level Two of the Green Schools Program are: Bellevue High School; Cherry Crest Elementary School; Chinook Middle School; Highland Middle School; Interlake High School; Lake Hills Elementary School; Medina Elementary School; Newport Heights Elementary School; Newport High School; Odle Middle School; Puesta del Sol Elementary School; Sammamish High School; Sherwood Forest Elementary School; Somerset Elementary School; and Tyee Middle School.
“The Bellevue School District is committed to resource conservation, and has benefited from the assistance that our schools have received from the King County Green Schools Program and the city of Bellevue,” said Nancy Larson, Bellevue School District Manager of Facilities, Information Technology and Maintenance.
Since 2003 the King County Green Schools Program has helped more than 400 schools to expand their conservation practices and engage students in doing something good for the environment. To date, 11 of King County’s 18 school districts have received assistance or are now participating. Because of the program, hundreds of schools are now recycling 40 to 70 percent of their solid waste and more than 60 schools are now recycling food scraps.
Questions for the Bellevue School District can be directed to Nancy Larson at 425-456-4501.
