DNRP > SWD > Education & Schools Assistance > Green Schools Program > Success Stories > Bellevue High School

Success Story: Bellevue High School

Recycling Containers These large recycling containers were placed throughout the campus to increase recycling and decrease litter.

School Location: Bellevue, Washington

Participated in the Green Schools Program: 2002–2003

Waste Reduction & Recycling

• Earthbound, the school's environmental club, developed and presented a skit on the benefits of recycling, double-sided copying and energy conservation.
• The school initiated a plastic bottle recycling program (see Litter Reduction below for details).

Water Conservation

• Through an assessment of the school's water use, the Green Schools Program identified a 50 percent increase in water use from 2001 to 2002. Usage volumes rose over a one-year period from averages of 20 to 30 hundred cubic feet (CCF) per month to averages of 50 to 60 CCF per month, with one month topping 100 CCF.
• With assistance from the school custodian, a defect was discovered in an outdoor decorative water fountain. Repairs were completed in the summer of 2003 and the school's total water use decreased.

Energy Conservation

Earthbound students analyzed weather stripping and caulking throughout the school. Two-thirds of the school's doors that have one side exposed to the elements were examined. Over 168 feet of door perimeters with improper weather stripping were identified. Using a series of calculations, this was estimated to result in 1,350 kilowatts lost per year.

Litter Reduction

A Job Well Done Bellevue High School King County Executive Ron Sims presents a certificate of appreciation for participation in the Green Schools program.

• A new school policy prohibiting students from eating outside of the cafeteria effectively reduced litter.
• King County helped secure a grant from the National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR) to purchase plastic bottle recycling containers. (PET stands for polyethylene terephthalate plastic, the type of plastic used to make soft drink bottles.) In the fall of 2003, containers were placed throughout the school to control plastic bottle litter, reduce the school's garbage volume, and increase plastic bottle recycling. This effort resulted in an increase in plastic bottle recycling from an estimated 7 percent to nearly 40 percent.

View a copy of Bellevue High School's completed Green Schools pledge form (PDF, 102 K).

For more information on Bellevue High School, contact:

Mike Bacigalupi, Principal
Bellevue High School
Telephone: 425-456-7000

Ted Cox, Teacher and Earthbound Club Advisor
Bellevue High School
Telephone: 425-456-7093

Nancy Larson, Maintenance and Facilities Manager
Bellevue School District
Telephone: 425-456-4501

top of page