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The Go Green Initiative Movement in Syracuse List-serve edition # 8
Really Understanding Recycling March 16, 2007
What’s in this edition: · Go Green Initiative Syracuse movement update on expansion Don’t forget to take advantage of the unique incentives offered to GGI schools by your local sponsors · Dual Stream vs. Single Stream Recycling explained · Quiz on proper recycling – test your knowledge and give this quiz to your class! · Highlighted School: Roberts k-8 · OCRRA Earth Day Clean up update · Ideas about Earth day – send ‘em along! · Educational Tidbit: Plastics #1-#7 · The Cafeteria Waste Reduction Initiative · Go Green Initiative Mission Statement
Syracuse GGI Program Update on expansion Take advantage of the incentives offered by your local GGI sponsors Things are moving right along here in Syracuse, with the Go Green Initiative movement. I encourage you all to take advantage of the resources that you, as a member of the GGI Syracuse team, are offered free of charge – thanks to your local GGI sponsors.
Dual Stream vs. Single Stream Recycling Important recycling information for all who dwell in Syracuse City For many of us recycling doesn’t go far beyond placing an item we believe to be recyclable in our blue bin. BUT for Green teams throughout the 29 Syracuse City Schools who are participating in the GGI program, recycling is an educational mission, and these students need your help! Depending on where you live, recycling may differ DRASTICSALLY! Here in the city of Syracuse your recyclable materials go to a dual stream recycling facility; Naef Recycling. Dual stream recycling facilities are not designed to process single stream recyclables. This means that you MUST keep your paper products separate from your co-mingled containers. Glass, plastic (#1 and #2 bottle shaped only!) and metals are considered co-mingled containers. Please keep your co-mingled containers separate from you paper products – neither custodians nor students should be expected to pick through the recyclables to separate paper and co-mingled containers. If you need more blue bins for recycling (they are free!), please contact school outreach recycling specialist, Justin Rudgick (OCRRA <jrudgick@ocrra.org>) For more information please contact me, Jennifer Spoor, via email: greenupny@yahoo.com.
Quiz on proper recycling Test your knowledge- and test your class! Dual Stream Recycling Vs. Single Stream: How well do you really understand recycling?
Quiz yourself ((and your friends)) to see if you really understand the recycling process in the Syracuse city schools: (answers at the end of the list serve – don’t cheat J )
1) Paper, as long as it’s not laminated, or contaminated with food/ liquid, belongs in the blue bin (true or false) 2) Throw away all milk cartons (true or false) 3) Throw away Styrofoam trays (true or false) 4) Cardboard can be put in the blue bin with paper (true or false) 5) It’s okay to blow my nose on a tissue and put it in the blue bin (true or false) 6) Gum wrappers belong in the blue bin (true or false) 7) Plastic bottles and metal cans should never be thrown in a blue bin with paper (true or false) 8) Aluminum Foil is recyclable (true or false) 9) #1 and #2 bottle shaped plastics are not recyclable (true or false) 10) It’s okay to mix glass bottles, #1 or #2 plastic bottles and metal containers together as long as I don’t add any paper. (true or false)
Highlighted School: Roberts k-8 School A radical representation of the GGI program
This Month’s highlighted school of the month is Roberts K-8. Roberts has been consistent in their environmental education prowess since signing onto the program during the 2006 school year. 3rd Grade Teacher, and GGI Advisor Cara Kirkby, and her Green team have been collecting, weighing and quantifying recyclables on a weekly basis. In the past 14 weeks the Roberts Green team has diverted 2,155 lbs of paper from the waste stream, which is equivalent to having saved the following resources:
In addition to doing a stellar job recycling paper and containers in their school, the Roberts Green team recycles organic material with their vermicompost. Cara Kirkby’s Green team is joined by 4th grade science teacher Mr. DeSalvia in composting their organic material. Mr. DeSalvia’s class is also weighing and quantifying weekly compost.
G- 4th grade science project with Mr. DeSalvia, involving vermicomposting. R-4th and 6th graders are working together to get the recycling job done. Both are doing a fantastic job – very consistent. E- Curriculum Guide requested for use in the library and in classroom. Mr. DeSalvia introduced vermicompost data at a staff meeting, as a math lesson (they are weighing and quantifying compost) E- Cara and class are consistent in submitting recycling numbers. Also, they are nominating a student to take notes each month, and send notes to Jennifer Spoor, for use in press release and on their personal GGI pages on the GGI SCSD website.
Educational Tidbit of the Month: Unravel the mysteries of the chasing arrow Plastics 1-7 – what is the difference? This month’s educational tidbit has to do with plastic, and what kinds of plastic is recyclable. In Onondaga County ONLY #1 and #2 bottle shaped plastics are recyclable – and here’s why: There are seven types of consumer plastic or resin. They are identified by a number inside three chasing arrows. #1 PETE: Polyethylene
Terephthalate. Commonly used in soft drinks, juice, and cough syrup containers and microwave trays. #2 HDPE: High Density
Polyethylene. Commonly used in milk jugs, detergent and shampoo bottles. #3 V: Polyvinyl Chloride. Commonly used in film for meat packaging and some rigid plastic containers. #4 LDPE: Low Density
Polyethylene. Commonly used in newspaper and grocery bags and butter cups lids. #5 PP: Polypropylene. Commonly used in yogurt containers and deli trays. #6 PS: Polystyrene. Commonly used in plastic cups and plates and to-go containers. #7 OTHER: Other mixed resins. Commonly used in mixed plastic containers or plastic products.
For more information visit: http://www.ocrra.org/PlasticsFactSheet.htm
OCRRA Earth Day Syracuse clean-up – added day to participate! Sign up for OCRRA’s earth day clean up Friday 4-27 or Saturday 4-28. Looking to nurture nature this Earth-day? OCRRA’s Earth-day clean-up has been expanded to include Friday, April 27th as well as Saturday April 28th. Register before April 6th and you will be entered into OCRRA’s Earth day raffle. Prizes for the raffle include a paper shredder, compost bins, recycled fleece jackets, reusable grocery bags and Earth-day t-shirts. I’ve attached a registration sheet to this email. If you have any questions or comments call 315-453-2866 and ask for Cheri Zajac. You can also sign up online, via www.ocrra.org. Sign up today for OCRRA’s Earth-day cleanup!
What do you plan to do for Earth Day? Send your ideas to me! Do you plan to show a movie for Earth day about recycling or another environmentally related topic? Or take part in OCRRA’s Earth day cleanup? I am working to compile a list of environmentally related activities and resources to offer students involved with the GGI program. I need you help! I know how inspired you are! Please send me your ideas via email at greenupny@yahoo.com
Cafeteria Waste Reduction Initiative Interested in combating the overuse of Styrofoam in your school cafeteria? The Go Green Initiative is an environmental education program which focuses on the conservation and overall reduction in usage and waste of resources. An active group of GGI-ers, headed by local environmental activist and outdoor science education teacher, Anna Endreny, is working to combat a serious waste problem found throughout cafeterias SCSD wide. Schools are over-using Styrofoam; we estimate that 2 Styrofoam trays are used per day per student. With 39 schools in the district, Styrofoam makes up a huge percentage of the waste stream. The over-use of Styrofoam is the first obvious problem that schools interested in cutting back on excess consumption and waste need to rectify. By cutting back on disposal cost, by using and trashing less Styrofoam, schools may be able to save and even make money by recycling / composting / purchasing fewer trays. Currently Edward Smith elementary is the only GGI School who has designed a plan to target excess Styrofoam consumption. At Edward Smith breakfast is served in a brown paper bag, and, consequentially, Ed Smith has cut their Styrofoam usage in half! To get involved with the Cafeteria Waste Reduction Initiative and/or to nominate your school to house a Styrofoam reduction pilot program contact me via email: greenupny@yahoo.com
GGI Mission Statement: The Go Green Initiative is a simple, comprehensive program designed to create a culture of environmental responsibility on school campuses across the nation. Founded in 2002, the Go Green Initiative unites parents, students, teachers and school administrators in an effort to make real and lasting changes in their campus communities that will protect children and the environment for years to come. Visit www.gogreeninitiative.org for printable planning guides, program information and testimonials.
Answers to the Quiz: 1) True, paper is always recyclable unless you can’t rip it (in which case it’s probably laminated) or if it’s contaminated with food / liquid. You don’t even need to remove the staples and paper clips! 2) False, Milk cartons are recyclable and should be rinsed out and crushed. Clean flattened milk cartons should be bagged and left for the food service drivers to transport to Naef Recycling. 3) True, Styrofoam isn’t recyclable in NY. Currently Styrofoam trays are incinerated. 4) True and False… Sorry - this was a trick question! Cardboard is worth more money to the school district than ordinary paper. Most custodians flatten and bale the cardboard boxes used to transport materials to and from the school. If you have lot’s of cardboard boxes in your classroom talk to a custodian and find out where they are keeping cardboard. If you are looking to recycle a single box top, or another small piece of cardboard it is okay to throw it in your blue bin with the other paper. 5) False, tissues are a low grade of paper and break down to almost nothing during the recycling process. All that’s left is what you blew out of your nose… 6) False, gum wrappers are usually coated with tin foil and are not recyclable with paper. You’ll have to trash your gum wrappers unless your wrappers are free of metal. 7) True, in the city of Syracuse recyclables are separated in a dual stream. Dual stream means paper is separated from plastics, metal and glass. When paper is separated from glass recycling more paper is recycled and the total recycling process is much more efficient and less costly. It’s very important that you separate paper from metals, plastics and glass (aka Co-mingled containers) 8) True, aluminum foil is made of the same material as aluminum cans and is very recyclable. Throw your *clean* foil in a blue bin with your other co-mingled containers. 9) False, in fact #1 and #2 bottle shaped plastics are the only plastics that are recyclable in Onondaga County (and most places for that matter.) That means open mouthed yogurt containers should go in the trash along with any other non bottle shaped plastics and those baring #3, #4, #5, #6, or a #7 on the bottom. 10) True, co-mingled containers (Glass, Plastic and Metal) can be recycled together in a single blue bin.
Thank you all for your participation! And as always, if you have any questions/ comments/ meeting minutes/ ideas/ feedback of any sort please don’t hesitate to call GGI coordinator Jennifer Spoor at 315-558-0155 or email me at greenupny@yahoo.com
Keep truckin’ Until next time – Happy GREEN-ing You are receiving this
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