This morning at the Greeting Meeting, Grade 2 presented their new recycling program! The students explained that flexible snack pouches cannot be recycled. Elementary students collected the pouches from our EC students for a week and calculated that Gillispie students throw 6,000 of these pouches in the landfill every year!
But don’t worry, our Grade 2 students have a solution!
Through an organization called TerraCycle, the students will collect and recycle these pouches and, for every 10 pounds of pouches and caps, it will earn 800 points to do great things for the world like plant trees, adopt wildlife land, or provide food, water, and warm clothes for people in need.
Starting November 30, 2023, there will be labeled bins located in the snack and lunch areas. Second Graders will collect them each day to prepare and send to TerraCycle.
This student-led initiative to collect and recycle flexible snack pouches started as a Science and Design project and includes a cross-grade collaboration between Grade 2 and Grade 5 classes.
Growing our students’ understanding and capacity to appreciate nature and become mindful stewards of our environment is a key initiative at Gillispie School. In addition to incorporating environmental sustainability into class work, students are provided with space, time, and opportunities to care for plants and animals.
Read the text from their presentation here.>> Grade 2 Starts New Recycling Program!
THE GREENING OF GILLISPIE
Did you know that numerous measures have been, and continue to be, implemented to reduce the school’s energy use, water consumption, and waste production? Support from our Gillispie families and community has been instrumental in helping us meet our green goals.
- GREEN STANDARDS FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION – The most current green standards for new construction were adhered to during the 2019 upgrades to the early childhood classrooms and the 2021 construction of The Sandbox. All lighting is LED and motion-detected; water faucets are also motion-detected.
- HVAC SYSTEMS UPGRADE – In 2022, HVAC systems were upgraded to make them more efficient.
- LANDSCAPING – Succulents and native plants have replaced ornamental plants, reducing water usage.
- USED UNIFORM SALE – This reduced the number of new uniforms produced. Did you know that it takes 700 gallons of water to produce one t-shirt and for every t-shirt resold, one person could shower every day for 20 years?
- SOLAR PANELS – In 2023, solar panels were installed on the roof of The Sandbox, with plans to produce 100% of the power needed for the building, resulting in a 65% savings and reducing our carbon footprint. The best part: since energy production from these panels is tracked in real-time through an app, teachers will also be able to use this information for educational purposes. These solar panels were funded by a paddle raise at the 2022 spring fundraising event. Thank you to our Gillispie community!