Do Something Winners!
Congratulations to the winners of this year's Increase Your Green Competition. The schools below have been identified as outstanding leaders in environmental sustainability outside the National Grid Foundation territory by Do Something and a panel of expert judges. They will be awarded with $1500 and $500 grants to fund their environmental efforts at school. Read on and be inspired!
4 additional winners were selected from within the National Grid Foundation's territory. Read about the northeastern green schools too!
Martin Luther King, Jr. Magnet, TN
Grand Prize Winner: $1500
This IYG school was featured in the Tennessean as one of their state's greenest schools thanks to the students' work. The building is over a century old, built when green was just a color - not a movement. MLK Jr students overcame that challenge. They initiated their school's first ever recycling program, collecting glass, paper, aluminum, ink cartridges, and cell phones. In 8 weeks, they collected 30,000 bottles and cans, and 350 lbs of paper! Students made daily announcements as reminders to switch off lights, computers, and televisions in each classroom. This alone saved 46,800 hours of computer run time, 1,890 kWh of classroom light use, and 13,800 of television run time. They launched a school wide awareness campaign and involved nearly 1600 students in projects like painting recycling bins green and participating in "Green Tuesdays", by wearing green to school one day each week. Students started a community garden at a nearby park and planted 3 new trees on school grounds, all fertilized by the school's new composting program. What pushed MLK Jr. over the top was the impact they've built into the school's future. They've set up a matching funds effort with student government to fund a $3,000 Solar Panel Array for the school. The solar panels will be built partly from recycled solar cells and assembled by the Digital Electronics Class!They've integrated a student designed mini-course on the relevance of solar energy into their AP Sciences, Engineering, and Design courses.
Corporate Landing Middle School, VA
Second Tier Winner: $500
Students at Corporate Landing teamed up with SECEP, an organization that helps students with autism spectrum disorders and other disabilities, to execute their Increase Your Green projects. They invited SECEP students to join their environmental club and worked together to collect the school's recycling. They increased the amount recycled by 1000 lbs a month! They collaborated to plan a "green dance" to raise awareness about environmental issues. The cost of admission was a green outfit and an old cell phone or ink cartridge to recycle. They were rewarded with funds from the recycled items and used them to purchased a small solar panel. These students eat green, too! They set up an aquaponics tank to grow vegetables in a sustainable system. They plan to use these vegetables to stock their cafeteria with VERY locally grown produce.
Boise High School, ID
Second Tier Winner: $500
Boise students created and aired weekly PSAs to raise student awareness and share tips about recycling and saving energy. They developed a reward system for students and teachers who walk or bike to school. They practiced what they preached by riding bikes, instead of a car, in their homecoming parade passing out bookmarks with eco-friendly tips to the crowd. They cut their kWh usage in half by turning out one set of fluorescent lights in each classroom and mandating that computers get switched off after school. They're planning to share their green genious by planning teach-ins at other schools in their district. They've also begun preparations for a native species garden on school grounds.
The Branson School, CA
Second Tier Winner: $500
Branson students upgraded their existing recycling program by ordering new bins and placing them close to trash bins. They held a school-wide assembly to teach the student body about the importance of recycling and how to do it properly. They extended the program to include batteries and ink cartridges and even held an e-waste drive! Students and cafeteria staff worked together to introduce local and organic foods to the menu. They raised funds by hosting a Harvest Festival by selling a variety of seasonal produce, reusable water bottles, and raffling off 4 baskets full of green products. They raised enough money to install motion sensors in their classrooms and retrofit 75 bulbs with CFLs.