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Green Team Projects

Earth Smart Water Bottles Earth Smart water bottles are made from recycled plastic.

These Green Teams Are Earth Smart!

The King County Solid Waste Division recognizes the following Green Teams for their efforts to make Earth Smart choices that reduce waste and help habitat in King County. These 2007-2008 Green Teams received certificates of achievement, membership posters and water bottles made from recycled plastic.

Green Teams are important participants in the success of many of the county's Green Schools Program. Several were recognized as Earth Heroes at School.

Benjamin Franklin Elementary, Lake Washington School District

This Green Team, advised by Kristin Wobker, conducted a variety of school-wide projects for Earth Day, including organizing a Waste Free Lunch Day and decorating over 500 grocery bags for distribution at the local Red Apple. Ms. Wobker and fellow teacher Kate Berten recently received a Green Team mini-grant to purchase safety vests for Green Team members as they pick up litter around the community and help remove invasive plants at Bridle Trails Park.

Black Diamond Elementary, Enumclaw School District

Linda Reiter's fourth and fifth-grade team focused on recycling leadership this year by making improvements to the recycling program and distributing regular reminders to recycle. Students developed skits and posters and also picked up recyclables from each classroom daily.

Byron Kibler Elementary, Enumclaw District

Lori Tuttle's fifth-grade students continued to maintain their classroom worm bin in order to reduce the amount of lunch waste going into the garbage.

Clark Elementary, Issaquah School District

Liza Rickey and Ellen Ferrin's fourth and fifth-grade team planned and implemented an eco-friendly car wash at a local market. Students also split into groups at the annual Watershed Festival to teach an activity to other fourth and fifth graders at the school.

Discovery Elementary, Issaquah School District

Under Tasha Kirby's supervision, this Green Team of first through fifth-grade students received a mini-grant to place recycling bins at the school entrance and in the playground. They also started a food composting program in the lunchroom. With their sights on a new world record, they plan to collect as many plastic bottles as possible!

Eagle Rock Multi-age School, Riverview School District

As part of their King County Green Schools Program activity, the Earth Savers Club and their advisor Deborah Edwards successfully lobbied the school district superintendent to obtain recycling service for the school. The school received new recycling bins, and also started a lunchroom recycling program that includes milk cartons and juice boxes. The Earth Saver students educated the rest of the school about proper recycling.

Endeavor Elementary, Issaquah School District

This fifth-grade Green Team, advised by Kim Ralph, promoted waste free snacks and lunches. They also created and maintained a worm bin.

Gildo Rey Elementary, Auburn School District

Sue Hovde's second-grade Green Team class created worm bins. The students fed school lunch scraps to the worms and are now more aware of the role worms play in our environment.

Kennydale Elementary, Renton School District

Sara Taylor's fourth-grade team made individual posters about how they are going to take steps to go greener to make a difference for the environment. They also wrote songs, plays, and poems about how kids can go green in easy ways both at school, at home, and in their neighborhoods.

Marvista Elementary, Highline School District

Motivated by King County's assembly, Keith Matthews and his fourth-grade Green Team started a classroom composting program that soon expanded to seven classrooms. After conducting research as part of their pioneer education curriculum, the students became composting experts and shared their knowledge with other classrooms. The students collect the lunch waste each day and place it in a large worm bin contributed by the community. The compost from the worm bin will be used in the classroom garden plot.

Meridian Elementary, Kent School District

Esther Onishi's third-grade team made presentations to each classroom in their school and the staff to educate them on what can and cannot be recycled. They give periodic updates as needed. As a result, participation in the recycling program has increased, more materials are being recycled, and contamination has decreased.

Margaret Mead Elementary, Lake Washington School District

Kindergarten through second-grade members of the STARS (Students That Are Responsible Scholars), along with their teacher Pierina Austin, have become worm bin scholars. They have learned about the contents, habitat, purpose, and care of their worm bin and collect lunch scraps to feed their worms. They are using the castings in their school garden.

Rock Creek Elementary, Tahoma School District

After receiving the Hands on Reuse and Recycling Leadership classroom presentations from King County, this third-grade team was inspired to African masks from used construction paper. They also created a video on proper recycling which they showed throughout the school.

Snoqualmie Elementary, Snoqualmie Valley School District

Jennifer Gjurasic's fourth-grade team began Waste Free Wednesdays at their school. On Wednesdays, students are encouraged to think carefully about the lunch items they select in order to leave no waste after eating.

Talbot Hill Elementary, Renton School District

With guidance from Jeanne Kalnick, a group of seventeen students expanded the recycling program at the school's Earth Savers Recycling Center. The school is now recycling aluminum, steel and plastic, and use of the recycling bins has increased.

Terminal Park Elementary, Auburn School District

Mike Martin's fourth-grade team created a worm bin for recycling food scraps. They also distributed reuse bins and gave presentations to each class, encouraging students to reuse paper and recycle food items.

Under Leah McIntyre's supervision, the fifth-grade team at Terminal Park also shared information with the student body about recycling, reducing and reducing. They made games on PowerPoint, created posters, and made up skits. They also created public service announcements to get the word out about conserving resources.

Thoreau Elementary, Lake Washington

Three classrooms combined to form a Green Team to plant over 200 native plants as they focused their efforts on native gardening and worm bin use. Sixth grade students also audited classrooms and calculated classroom carbon footprints.

Woodmoor Elementary, Northshore School District

Jackie Kwock's third grade team used recycled paper, twigs, and rubber bands to make memory books for signing at the end of the school year.

To start a project of your own, find ideas in the Green Team brochure (PDF, 253 K). Apply for a mini-grant (PDF, 534 K) if you need funding for your project.

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