Case Study: Reardan-Edwall Middle School

The Dream Green Team

Grade: Multi-level
City: Reardan
County: Lincoln
District: Reardan-Edwall School District
Category: Recycling & Waste Reduction
Date: Aug 17, 2009

Reardan-Edwall Middle School students focused on building a dream Green Team to make things happen at their school. Their Green Team included several community members, including a representative from their County’s Solid Waste Department, to help them with their Recycling and Waste Reduction Assessment. The students actively engaged community members in their Washington Green Schools actions, and they are looking forward to continued collaboration with the City next year.

It's All About Student Initiative!

Enthusiasm is contagious at Reardan-Edwall Middle School! Students formed a Recycling Club and completed a school-wide Waste Audit. They recycled 5,460 lbs of cardboard, paper, aluminum and plastic, which avoided about 8 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (mtCO2e), or about the same as taking 1 typical American driver & vehicle off the road for a year and a half!* Students also signed up for the Cool Schools Challenge and hope to expand their effort in this program next year. Reardan-Edwall Middle School’s goal is to extend their Recycling Club to the High School, so that students can continue their initiatives upon graduation.

* Calculations are based on EPA Waste Reduction Model (WARM) GHG emissions for ‘mixed recyclables’, and assumes that recyclables were previously being landfilled.

Knowledge is Power

Reardan-Edwall Middle School students reached out to local agencies (Spokane Audubon Society, Department of Ecology, and more) for more information and resources on water protection. As a result, they received a grant for next year to conduct water quality testing, migratory bird inventories, and other ecological studies at at Audubon Lake, a local water resource. Students and staff also researched facts and shared them with other students in fun and interesting ways: for instance, “Did you know that recycling 1 aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for 3 hours?” The greater community learned about their WA Green Schools accomplishments through poster displays, the school website, and the Washington Green Schools website. Stay tuned for exciting updates on what the enthusiastic Reardan-Edwall Middle School students are doing for their Level 2 certification next year!

By The Green Team

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