Go Green Initiative - Helping the World Go Green

Testimonials

John Casey, Superintendent, Pleasanton Unified School District

I am proud that the Pleasanton Unified School District is the home of the Go Green Initiative! Our community has worked to develop a long-range strategic plan, in which Environmental Stewardship is identified as a critical component in preparing students for the possible and probable future our research predicts. The GGI provides our campuses with a unique, holistic approach that threads environmental education (EE) into every decision, every classroom. As a former ecology and biology teacher, I can appreciate how rare this quality in an EE program truly is. The GGI has afforded our schools with new community partnerships and resources that did not exist previously. We have partnered with our city and county governments in exciting ways, and developed a closer rapport with our waste hauler, resulting in superior communication, cooperation and mutual satisfaction.

The GGI is a fantastic program for students. The program involves them every step of the way, and teaches them the critical thinking skills necessary for the next generation of leaders. The GGI helps students develop healthy, environmentally responsible habits. Students come to understand that taking care of the environment is tantamount to taking care of their own health. Students gain important insight into good character traits, like integrity and respect that are modeled for them by the adults who form the Go Green teams on their campus.

The Go Green Initiative has given our schools a new feeling of shared vision and campus pride. Our Go Green teams bring principals, teachers, custodians, parents and students together to set goals, share ideas, and celebrate success. The GGI is respectful of school site autonomy, and allows for unique implementation plans at every school. Yet, the GGI fully supports our schools with training, information, advice, resources and tools, which gives school administrators the confidence that their campuses are heading in the right direction. I have seen great things happen on Go Green campuses, and I highly recommend the program.

Bill Radulovich, Principal, Walnut Grove Elementary School

Walnut Grove Elementary School has been “Going Green” since the inception of the initiative in September of 2002. The initiative has brought benefits to students, staff and parents throughout our community.

Students have participated in a host of activities that have increased both their awareness of environment issues as well as their capacity to act affirmatively on such issues. Our students recycle paper, compost waste materials, participate in aluminum and plastic recycling, create public animal waste disposal stations, clean nearby creek habitats, paint caveats on storm drains and monitor home use of energy. Solid food waste is monitored by students during lunch breaks and students “re-educate” their families about the bio-hazards of certain forms of food packaging. A school wide “Ecology Club” meets regularly to develop strategies to promote ecologically sound practices around our school and community.

Our teachers have been fortunate to have received support, in the form of mini grants, to implement programs that support the Go Green Initiative. As a result, a variety of projects have been implemented in classrooms – ranging from field trips to study local habitats to developing mini gardens. We have adopted an “earth friendly” theme for the murals and artwork that adorns our buildings, halls, playground and classrooms.

Parents and community members are very supportive of these efforts. They realize that one day soon the onus of stewardship of the planet will fall on the shoulders of our children. Knowing that sound, accurate information, coupled with effective environmental practices, can set the stage for responsible action, they actively support our school. Currently, a parent team is assisting us in developing a school wide garden that will use recycled materials, composted soil amendments and organic supplements to inculcate our students with an even greater appreciation for the beauty of nature.

The Go Green Initiative blends naturally with our school goals, state standards and district focus. We incorporate Go Green into our “Integrated Arts Program” by showcasing the natural world as our artistic theme. Art works range from “posters” painted on recycled wood (from school modernization) to a 600 square foot mural. Go Green has naturally folded into our Character Education Program, providing opportunities to correlate monthly character traits with environmentally sound practices. And finally, Go Green has offered a wonderful adjunct to our earth science curriculum.

By going “Green,” we did not have to add another layer of curriculum or compromise any existing program. Rather, we added greater dimension and scope to some of our existing curriculums. We invite other schools to visit us. We will be happy to prove the Kermit wrong: it IS easy being “green.”

Barbara Heisser, Principal, Alisal Elementary

The Go Green initiative at Alisal Elementary School validates the conservation and recycling efforts that have been in place for a few years. The focus of the initiative is to educate students as to the benefits to our global environment. Through school wide paper, aluminum, plastic and cardboard recycling as well as ink and toner cartridges recycling the entire school community realized some amazing results. The education has extended to the homes and businesses that surround our school campus and students are taking an active part in educating everyone they come in contact with about conservation and recycling. The Go Green initiative has been an excellent opportunity for the entire community to come together for a worthwhile and environmentally significant project. I would encourage every school to get involved in this active learning opportunity with measurable results!

Jennifer Hosterman, City Councilwoman, Pleasanton, CA

I have been impressed with the ease with which the Go Green Initiative has been implemented in our school district. Other available programs are either too cumbersome, too expensive, or rely upon an unchanging staff for longevity in effectiveness. The Go Green Initiative re-shapes children’s' views and habits in modeling environmentally responsible behavior, which is then transcended from the school site, to home, and beyond. This program is simple to implement, is self-perpetuating, and the results are measurable.

We are struggling in our town of Pleasanton to meet a state-mandated 50 percent waste stream diversion from our landfill. We have successfully launched our first E-Waste Day, and have rolled out a food waste program, making it easy for families to separate food waste which is then composted. And now, with the successful implementation of the Go Green Initiative in our school district, we will no doubt meet our goal this year. We have recently been asked to voluntarily attain 75 percent diversion in the coming years. With programs like the Go Green Initiative, we can afford to aim high! I highly recommend the Go Green Initiative to every community.

Diane Kratz, Teacher, Harvest Park Middle School

When first approached about the Go Green Initiative at Harvest Park Middle School, I thought it was just another thing to add to my long list of things to do. I quickly discovered my assumptions were wrong. We reviewed what we were already doing with paper and ink jet cartridge recycling and discussed other ways that we could expand our environmental efforts on campus. We weren’t required to address all five elements of the Go Green Initiative, only those that we could successfully handle.

We decided that we wanted to increase paper recycling and add plastics recycling at our school. Before any steps were taken, we considered stumbling blocks to success, who it might impact (custodians, teachers, staff), costs involved, and how to get the students to buy in. To be successful, we knew the program couldn’t add to anyone’s workload.

The Go Green Initiative provides so much freedom. Each school decides what will or will not work for them. The paperwork is minimal and the support is amazing. The Go Green Initiative helps the entire school take simple steps to reduce our contribution to the landfill. It shows the students and staff that they can continue the same practices at home. Our students would actually help remind each other to recycle. It is our hope that this awareness transfers to their lives outside of school.

Meg Morris, Past President, National Recycling Coalition

The Go Green Initiative is a program whose time has come. It covers many environmental topics and involves not just students and teachers, but also administrators, maintenance crews and members of the local PTA/PTO. This last group - the parents - is so important because they are also the taxpayers who support our school systems. As a strong supporter of the GGI through my board relationship with the National Recycling Coalition, I have been working at a statewide level in Massachusetts to get this initiative off the ground. I believe firmly that communities benefit from increased awareness as well as increased recycling and decreased disposal costs -- all made possible through the Go Green Initiative.

Casey Magnuson, Texas PTA Environmental/Awards Chair, Texas State PTA

To borrow the phrase "Everything's BIG in Texas" is also to equate the amount of paper in Texas school trash bins that could be recycled. Texas PTA was the first state PTA to Go Green with Jill Buck and her wonderful program, the Go Green Initiative (GGI).

Texas has a lot of work to do to eliminate school paper waste, and the GGI is a good way to start. It introduces recycling easily and without too much fuss, which the principals, teachers, parents and PTA's certainly need. There are no strings and no surprise spot-checks; the schools evaluate their progress, strengths and weaknesses and acts on them. Success is always in the eye of the beholder, and this will be no different. Even a small amount of paper being recycled instead of thrown away will be noticed and a success.

I've had the privilege of hearing Jill's GGI information presentation twice, and it is a truly wonderful learning experience. Jill is a gifted and talented speaker and presenter in energy and knowledge. In June 2004, she presented the GGI at the Keep Texas Beautiful Conference and the room was past the allowed capacity. Everyone unanimously wanted the workshop to continue on and was excited about the possibility of Texas being a front-runner in paper recycling.

In July 2004, Jill traveled to Austin, Texas, for the Texas PTA Summer Leadership Seminar, the state PTA's annual three-day training weekend. We had three different GGI-type workshops -- first the GGI Kick-Off and Information session, and then the last two were about school recycling and education programs in the state. The first session was well attended, and the attendees had many relevant questions and were very responsive to Jill. In fact, at the other two workshops, questions were asked about the GGI and if Jill would be able to answer more questions.

The evaluations for Jill's workshop were outstanding and one came from someone who said this particular PTA workshop wasn't long enough! I am still receiving emails from attendees around the state who were (and weren't) at SLS wanting to know more information about the GGI. I have just patiently forwarded them to our Texas PTA Web site and Jill's GGI Web Site.

It is a goal of the Environmental Chairman of Texas PTA that by January 2005 at least 50 percent of all active PTA schools will have registered with the GGI and will be working toward being GREEN!

Jennifer Stacy, Teacher, La Prepa Tec Garza Lagüera, Monterrey, Mexico

In Monterrey, Mexico we are trying to raise awareness about environmental sustainability and the Go Green Program has provided us with the perfect vehicle to do so. The greatest challenge we have encountered is trying to change the mentality of a population who has grown up in a culture where the thoughts of reducing, reusing, and recycling are non-existent. However, with resources such as the Go Green website in Spanish, not only will we be able to reach our bilingual students, but also expand our project into the non-English speaking community of Mexico. It only takes a spark to light a fire and here at La Prepa Tec Garza Lagüera we are actively taking on the role to be the spark for all of Mexico.