Green & Healthy Tribal school Webinar Series

1. Green & Healthy Tribal school Webinar Series Peaks to Prairies Pollution Prevention Center

2. Peaks to Prairies- who we are • A Pollution Prevention Information Center for EPA Region 8 (MT, WY, ND, SD, UT, CO) • One of 8 EPA funded Regional Centers whose mission is to distribute tools and information to businesses, industries, technical assistance providers, state and tribal government agencies for the purpose of aiding in the practice of pollution prevention • A program under MSU’s Department of Extension – Housing and Environmental Health- Bozeman

5. Housekeeping • Everyone is muted • Type questions into question pane • Presentations will be posted at www.tribalp2.org

6. Reduce Your Footprint: Waste Reduction & Recycling in Schools Peaks to Prairies Pollution Prevention Center- Tribal Green and Healthy School Workshop

7. Overview • Reduce • Energy Efficiencies, Paper, Lunch, Air Pollutants • Recycle • Basics (paper, plastic, cardboard etc.), E-waste, Mercury • Special Activities • Localized Fundraisers, Earth Day • Strategies for Success

8. Why Schools are important • Can often be the largest waste generator in town • Students are highly motivated and like ‘hands-on’ important work • Builds a future of well-educated consumers and recyclers by modeling behavior to an age where they are most likely adopt new behaviors for life

9. Why School Buildings are Important • Commercial buildings and industrial facilities generate about 50 percent of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions. • Energy costs represent a typical school district’s second largest operating expense, after salaries—more than the cost of computers and textbooks combined. • Energy efficiency is vital to schools in the United States. The nation’s 17,450 K-12 school districts spend more than $6 billion annually on energy. • Reductions of 10 percent in energy use can be possible with little or no cost.

10. Reduce – Energy, water, paper, lunch waste

11. Energy Conservation and Efficiency at Schools • McKinstry – Tim Tolman • How can schools be more energy efficient? • What is an energy audit and the process for conducting an audit? • Case studies – Browning School District

12. Reduce - Paper • Reduce handouts to parents • Double side printing or use ½ sheets • Daily email announcement and a monthly or bi-weekly newsletter • Encourage email or district website postings • Policy regarding community bulletins

13. Reduce – No Waste Lunches • Consider a recess followed by lunch schedule • Offer versus Served Program

14. Say NO to Polystyrene • Provide metal utensils, biodegradable cups and napkins • No more polystyrene trays or plates

15. Zero Waste Home Lunches • Inform parents on how home lunches can be zero waste • Avoid single serving packaging • Refillable bottles versus juice boxes and containers • Cloth napkins • Re-usable containers • Metal utensils • Pack it in – Pack it out

16. Lunch Waste Disposal

17. Compost and Gardens

18. Reduce – Water consumption What are the water consumption habits at your school? • Do your faucets drip? • Are your bathroom sinks left on? • Do you have waterless urinals? Low-flow toilets? • What is your landscaping? • Are you using salt versus sand on your sidewalks?

19. Reduce – Air pollutants • Institute a no-idling policy • Apply this to parents as well as buses

20. RECYCLE – Basics, E-Waste, bulbs

21. Recycling – Basic Programs Paper, Plastic, Cardboard, Aluminum, Glass

22. Steps to Set up Your Recycling Program 1. Form a team • Find out who supports recycling • Consider conducting a survey • Get permission from principal and include parents, teachers, facilities staff, cafeteria etc • Appoint a committee chair 2. Conduct a waste assessment 3. Goals and Actions • Start small – pick the recyclable material that makes up the highest percentage of your waste stream

23. Setting up your recycling program 4. Figure out where materials will go • Start with you current trash hauler • Is there a city recycling program? • Are there private recycling companies? • Consider a district wide collection or can you work with a local business? 5. Determine how they will be stored 6. Work through your in-school collection system • Who and how often?

24. Recycling – Printer Cartridges

25. Recycling – E Waste

26. E-Waste Pollutants • Cadmium – rechargeable computer batteries and monitors • Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) cabling – circuit boards, cables, connectors • Mercury – lighting devices in flat screen displays • Lead, beryllium, cobalt, silver, gold, palladium…

27. State Electronics Challenge • In 2009, a Source Reduction Grant was awarded to the NE Recycling Council to introduce and support the State Electronics Challenge in EPA Region 8 • Good resource for school districts to help manage their electronics responsibly (i.e. purchasing green computers, energy conservation , proper recycling at the end of their useful life). • Voluntary & Free – entities join as Partners • Partners commit to take action to reduce the environmental footprint of the computers/electronic commitment • In return, they receive technical assistance/tools • As far as I know this program will be continued

28. SEC 2010 Results • In its third year, the SEC expanded from its Northeast roots to serve state, regional, tribal, and local governments in the Rocky Mountain and Great Lake States.  The program grew from 33 Partners in 10 states at the close of 2009, to 48 Partners in 16 states in December 2010.   At the end of April, there were 63 Partners!  In 2010, Partner activities resulted in significant environmental benefits.  These included: • Saving enough energy to power 5,656 households/year • Avoiding greenhouse gases emissions equivalent to removing 5,535 cars from the road/year • Avoiding the generation of 412,614 lbs of hazardous waste.

29. Recycling - Mercury

30. Special events – opportunities for change

31. Party Green • Disposable cups –vs- Reusable cups and mugs • Bottled water –vs- Pitchers, water stations • Disposable paper plates and utensils –vs- reusable Tub-o-Dishes • Garbage cans –vs- Recycling Bin • Name tags –vs- Reusable name badges • Local &/or healthy foods –vs- Sugar & processed

32. Special Activities- Localized Fundraisers • Community art-market • Farm to School Fundraiser • Meat / egg shares • Yard sales/ auctions • Local business services or items

33. Special Activities – Earth Day • Recycle week contest – bring awareness to the amount of recyclable materials entering the waste stream • Re-cycle / re-use drive – collect cell phones, printer cartridges, batteries • Waste audits – conducted by students • Bike / walk to school • Non-toxic cleaner parties – make and test against conventional cleaners

34. Strategies for Success

35. Start with a Waste Assessment A general way of looking at a school’s waste stream 1. Preliminary questions 2. Site Tour 3. Interviews • Keeping these questions in mind throughout: • Why do we purchase this? • Can we use less of it or use it more efficiently? • Can we reuse it, recycle it, or compost it?

36. The goal of conducting a waste assessment is to: • Document the current waste management system. • Estimate the types of wastes generated. • Identify and prioritize waste reduction, reuse, recycling and composting opportunities. • Outline a plan of action. • Identify measures of success and track program progress. • Make program adjustments as necessary.

39. Strategies for Success – It’s all about relationships • Build a team and designate leaders • Students – cater to young and older • Teachers – natural leaders and the key facilitator of recycling programs and curriculum tie-ins • Obtain support from your School Board, superintendents, and principals • That support is critical for enacting lasting change by establishing policies for purchasing, cleaning, recycling etc. • Building and maintenance staff are a critical part of many of these discussions • Parents and Community

40. Educate your children- build these principals into the culture of your school family • Incorporate the science of climate change, watershed processes, water quality, ecosystem functioning into your curriculum • Inspire change through reading assignments • Encourage action through planned activities and clubs

41. Incentives • Save your school money • Grant Sources • State Environmental Organization and US EPA • EPA R8 Resource Conservation Challenge Funds - Ben Bents (4 priority areas: MSW Recycling, Greening Electronics, Industrial Materials Recycling, Priority Chemicals Reduction) • EPA R8 Source Reduction Grants – Linda Walters • EPA HQ Innovation Initiative (IWG Grant) - Ben Bents • EPA Grants Homepage www.epa.gov/region08/grants/ • http://americasgreenestschool.com/ • USDA periodically has rural development funds www.rurdev.usda.gov • SEC Challenge • Award Programs & support from the school community

42. Peaks to Prairies Pollution Prevention Center Montana State University Myla Kelly – Coordinator 406-994-6948 myla.kelly@montana.edu www.peakstoprairies.org