Green Star School

Just what is a Green Star School?
Schools throughout Boulder County are partnering with Eco-Cycle to move toward Zero Waste through increased recycling, the implementation of composting, and special waste reduction activities. The project is part of Eco-Cycle’s award-winning School Recycling and Environmental Education Program. The Green Star Schools are the first in the nation to reduce waste in every aspect of school life. As a result of implementing the program, up to two-thirds of the discards from each of the Green Star Schools is kept out of landfills.

The program began with four schools in the spring of 2005. Currently, there are 5,100 students at 14 schools enrolled. Seven additional schools have already signed up to join the program during the 2007-08 and 2008-09 school years, and are eager to start working toward Zero Waste.

Tips for parents
An important part of making the Green Star Schools project a success is avoiding waste in the first place. Did you know that approximately 1/3 of all trash is packaging? For this reason, we are asking students and their families to pack waste-free lunches by using recyclable and reusable containers whenever possible.

Here are some tips for helping students create a waste-free lunch:

• use reusable lunch bags or boxes
• pack food in reusable containers
• bring drinks in refillable or recyclable containers
• save and reuse plastic bags
• use cloth napkins instead of paper napkins
• provide reusable eating utensils

Old clothes can be made into cloth napkins, thrift shops sell cheap eating utensils and yogurt containers can be reused to hold snacks. Even doing one or two things from the list above will make a big difference.