The Go Green Committee
THE GREEN SCENE - May 14, 2012
ZERO WASTE PARTIES
There are many end-of-year celebrations happening in the final weeks of school. Our goal is to encourage Zero Waste Parties. Using compostable or recycleable items for parties (paper plates are compostable, styrofoam plates = trash; 5 gallon water jugs vs. 100 water bottles). When planning your parties, please think Zero Waste. If you have any questions or need some suggestions, contact your current school representative or Cathy Groat cgroat@comcast.net for more information.
Edina Public Schools
District Go Green Committee
THE GREEN SCENE - April 30, 2012
VOLUNTEER SEASON
We're looking for Green Team Representatives. You can be a green team liaison for your school; you can join the Organics Committee; or you can join the EPS District Go Green Committee or a Subcommittee. There are opportunities for small projects or bigger projects. Contact your current school representative or Cathy Groat cgroat@comcast.net for more information.
Edina Public Schools
District Go Green Committee
THE GREEN SCENE - April 23, 2012
Thank you for your support in our Turn Off Lights Behind You campaign and the April 19 Edina Dialogue.
We can make a difference!
Edina Public Schools
District Go Green Committee
THE GREEN SCENE - April 16, 2012
Earth Week Challenge -
Turn Off Lights Behind You (TOLBY)
April 16-22, 2012
For earth week, we challenge everyone in the schools to "Turn Off Lights Behind You"(TOLBY) when leaving a room or use small lamps when possible, instead of the overhead lights.
There will be posters at the main entrance of each school and a reminder will be given in morning announcements. Together we will help save energy for our schools. For more information on ways to save energy and the MN Challenge go to http://www.mnenergychallenge.org/.
Did you know?
Though accounting for only 5 percent of the world's population, Americans consume 26 percent of the world's energy. -UCLA Sustainability
Each year approximately 4 billion dollars is wasted through just appliances such as TVs, computers and video game consoles left plugged in. - US Department of Energy
The Environment, Economy and Food Supply Dialogue
April 19, 2012, 6-8pm
For additional information, contact Sarah Zarrin at eed419@gmail.com or visit www.edinagogreen.org.
Calendar of Events
Earth Week: TOLBY Challenge - April 16-22, 2012.
Edina Dialogue - April 19, 2012, 6-8 pm.
Bike Rodeo - Saturday, April 21, 2012 - Cornelia Elementary 10am-noon.
Earth Day - Sunday, April 22, 2012.
THE GREEN SCENE - April 9, 2012
Earth Week Challenge -
Turn Off Lights Behind You (TOLBY)
April 16-22, 2012
For earth week, we challenge everyone in the schools to "Turn Off Lights Behind You"(TOLBY) when leaving a room or use small lamps when possible, instead of the overhead lights. Together we will help save energy for our schools. For more information on ways to save energy and the MN Challenge go to http://www.mnenergychallenge.org/.
The Environment, Economy and Food Supply Dialogue
April 19, 2012, 6-8pm
For additional information, contact Sarah Zarrin at eed419@gmail.com or visit www.edinagogreen.org.
Did you know?
"By 2025, Minnesotans are expected to consume 35 percent more energy than we do today. " (From City of Edina website.)
Calendar of Events
Earth Hour - Saturday, March 31, 2012 - http://www.earthhour.org/.
Lights out 8:30-9:30 pm local time.
Earth Week - April 16-22, 2012.
Bike Rodeo - Saturday, April 21, 2012 - Cornelia Elementary 10am-noon.
Earth Day - Sunday, April 22, 2012.
THE GREEN SCENE - March 26, 2012
The Environment, Economy and Food Supply Dialogue
April 19, 2012, 6-8pm
Dr. Jonathan Foley, Director of the University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment, will be joining us at the Fick Auditorium, Edina High School, for refreshments, a presentation, Q&A and panel discussion with local leaders. For additional information, contact Sarah Zarrin at eed419@gmail.com or visit www.edinagogreen.org.
Did you know?
By fully recycling traditional recyclables and compostables, schools could reduce trash to at least 15% (from Hennepin County’s school waste study School waste composition study).
What's Recyclable? Master Recycler: Recycling at Home
Tuesday, March 27, 7–8 pm
Linden Hills Library
Register Online or call 612-543-6825.
What can and can't be recycled? Master Recycler/Composters will discuss options for recycling materials, including some harder-to-recycle items such as mattresses and electronics. You will also learn about Internet options for finding new homes for your unwanted stuff.
For more information go to www.hennepin.us/greenpartners
Calendar of Events
Earth Hour - Saturday, March 31, 2012 - http://www.earthhour.org/. Lights out 8:30-9:30 pm local time.
Bike Rodeo - Saturday, April 21, 2012 - Cornelia Elementary 10am-noon.
Earth Day - Sunday, April 22, 2012
THE GREEN SCENE - March 19, 2012
The Environment, Economy and Food Supply Dialogue
April 19, 2012, 6-8pm
Dr. Jonathan Foley, Director of the University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment, will be joining us at the Fick Auditorium, Edina High School, for refreshments, a presentation, Q&A and panel discussion with local leaders. For additional information, contact Sarah Zarrin at eed419@gmail.com or visit www.edinagogreen.org.
Did you know?
- The cost of trash disposal is
$43/ton + 17% state tax + 14/5% county fee - The cost of organics disposal is
$15/ton + no tax
It pays to reduce the amount of trash by increasing recycling and organics collection.*
*Recycling Guide for Minnesota Schools , section “Cost benefits of recycling”, MN Solid Waste tax: www.taxes.state.mn.us/special/waste/index.shtml.
What's Recyclable?
On Friday, March 23, there will be a community information class called "What can and can't be recycled? Where can you find new homes for your unwanted stuff?"
7-8PM
Linden Hills Library
For more information go to www.hennepin.us/greenpartners
Calendar of Events
Earth Hour - Saturday, March 31, 2012 - http://www.earthhour.org/. Lights out 8:30-9:30 pm local time.
Bike Rodeo - Saturday, April 21, 2012 - Cornelia Elementary 10am-noon.
Earth Day - Sunday, April 22, 2012.
THE GREEN SCENE - March 12, 2012
Recycling Collections at Edina Schools:
- Plastic bottles and containers with the recycle symbol and number 1-7 printed (i.e., yogurt containers)
- Foil lined milk and juice cartons
- Aluminum cans
- Aluminum foil (without food waste)
- Tin or steel cans
- Paperboard (Lunchables cardboard boxes, cereal boxes, etc.)
-
Paper
- Junk mail
- Phone books
- Flattened cardboard
- Magazines
- Office paper
- Newspaper
The Environment, Economy and Food Supply Dialogue
April 19, 2012, 6-8pm
Dr. Jonathan Foley, Director of the University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment, will be joining us at the Fick Auditorium, Edina High School, for refreshments, a presentation, Q&A and panel discussion with local leaders. For additional information, contact Sarah Zarrin at eed419@gmail.com or visit www.edinagogreen.org.
Calendar of Events
Earth Hour - Saturday, March 31, 2012 - for more information go to: http://www.earthhour.org/
Bike Rodeo - Saturday, April 21, 2012 - Cornelia Elementary 10am-noon.
Earth Day - Sunday, April 22, 2012 - Earth Day ends a week of celebrations.
THE GREEN SCENE - March 5, 2012
Organics Collections
The numbers are in and it's amazing! Each school has a number of carts on the dock. Based on collection tonnages from the past, each full cart holds an average of 80 pounds of organics. This average is used to calculate the number of tons each school has collected to date. Last year at this time our total district organics collection was 55.84 tons. We are up 13% over last year. Way to go Edina!
Organics Collections Edina Public Schools 2011-2012
| # of Carts on Dock | # of Carts Collected | TONS* | |
| September 2011-December 2011 | |||
| SCHOOL: | |||
| Countryside Ele. | 6 | 120 | 4.8 |
| Creek Valley Ele. | 6 | 129 | 5.16 |
| Highland Ele. | 6 | 145 | 5.8 |
| Concord Ele. | 6 | 145 | 5.8 |
| Normandale Ele. | 6 | 149 | 5.96 |
| Cornelia Ele. | 6 | 171 | 6.84 |
| Southview Middle | 8 | 220 | 8.8 |
| Edina HS | 12 | 222 | 8.88 |
| Valley View Middle | 12 | 279 | 11.16 |
| Total (as of Dec 2011) | 63.2 |
Here's a recap of what goes into the compost bins at school:
- All food, including
- fruits and vegetables
- meat, fish, bones
- eggshells
- bread, pasta & baked goods
- dairy products
- Milk and juice cartons (NOT foil-lined)
- Paper products
- any paper products served in the cafeteria
- paper towels
- napkins
- lunch bags
- paper plates, cups and containers
- Wax products
- wax paper
- wax covered plates or cups
- Popsicle or corndog sticks
- Compostable cups and food wrappers available from the cafeteria - they look like plastic but are made from corn polymers
- Cafeteria supplied utensils
- Freezer and refrigerator food boxes
- Coffee filters and tea bags
- Pizza boxes
- Paper with paint
- Crepe paper
- Egg cartons (not styrofoam)
The schools have signs posted in the cafeteria near the collection bins with pictures or examples of items that are compostable. Thank you to the students and parents who made these signs! Pass the word along - Sort and Save!
The Environment, Economy and Food Supply Dialogue
April 19, 2012, 6-8pm
Save the date! Dr. Jonathan Foley, Director of the University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment, will be joining us at the Fick Auditorium, Edina High School, for refreshments, a presentation, Q&A and panel discussion with local leaders.
Bring your families, friends and neighbors.
Admission is Free. This event is open to the public and qualifies for CEU credit.
For additional information, contact Sarah Zarrin at
eed419@gmail.com or visit www.edinagogreen.org
Question of the Week
Any new questions? We need your questions or suggestions. Please submit them to me for publication in next week's issue.
THE GREEN SCENE - February 20, 2012
Plastic Caps
What can you do with all the plastic caps? Aveda Corporation is still collecting plastic caps to recycle.
Acceptable items:
- #5 caps (may or may not be marked)
- Rigid caps (characteristic of #5) - can't bend or break
- Threaded neck
Examples: caps on shampoo, water, soda, milk and other beverage bottles, pharmaceutical lids, flip top caps on tubes and food product bottles (such as ketchup and mayonnaise), laundry detergents and some jar lids such as peanut butter.
For more information on acceptable caps,
go to Aveda - Be the Change
Drop off sites are at the Aveda Store in Edina at Southdale and Burley's Hair Salon on Valley View Road in Edina. Most private salons that sell Aveda products NO LONGER collect caps as a money saving measure. You may want to call in advance to making a trip.
You can also send the caps directly to:
ACA Waste Services, 40 Eads Street, West Babalon, NY 11704
Grant Opportunity
Jeffers Foundation is looking for elementary schools in Minnesota who have developed and are implementing effective Waste Reduction Programs in their school lunchrooms that can be "shared" with other schools throughout the state. Awards of $5,000, $3,000 and $2,000 will be awarded to the three schools that are judged to have the most effective waste reduction lunchroom programs.
For more information go to:
http://www.jeffersfoundation.org/
Question of the Week
Any new questions? We need your questions or suggestions. Please submit them to me for publication in next week's issue.
THE GREEN SCENE - February 6, 2012
Recycling
I've received numerous questions regarding the recycling process at home vs. at school. There is a lot of confusion.
In the news, there have been articles that have described the new single stream recycling process. This includes wheeled carts and collecting many more recyleable products - #3-7 plastics, foil-lined cartons, plastic bags and plastic bottle caps.
At this time the Edina School District and the City of Edina have 2 different haulers for recycleables, therefore, 2 different sets of rules.
The collection of additional recycleable products pertains to the Edina School District only. The City of Edina currently uses the 2 sort recycling process (paper is separated from glass, #1-2 plastic bottles, aluminum or tin cans).
THE GREEN SCENE - January 27, 2012
Hold the Mail
Do you find a lot of junk mail in your mail box?
- Recycle, but make sure to remove all non-paper items, such as CDs, product samples and stickers.
- Get off mailing lists (from the 2012 annual Do It Green Magazine).
Credit Offers
The nations major consumer credit bureau (Equifax, Experian, Innovis and TransUnion) offer a toll-free number to remove your name from pre-approved credit card offers. The recording asks for social security number, name, address and phone number.
- online: optoutprescreen.com
- call: 1-888-5-OPTOUT (1-888-567-8688)
Mail list brokers and marketing associations
These firms or their members provide national lists for non-financial data.
- Direct Marketing Association (DMA)
- online: dmachoice.org
- mail: print and mail a registration form from dmachoice.org
- Polk Company
- call: 1-800-464-7655, ask for "Opt Out" line.
National mailers
expect 6-8 weeks to take effect
- Red Plum (Mailbox Values) & Shop Wi$e
- online: valassis.com/1024/Contact/
- call: 1-888-241-6760
- Val-Pak Direct Market Systems (Cox Target Media)
- online: www.coxtarget.com/contact.html
- click "mailing list removal request form"
enter information exactly as printed on envelope - mail: send your Val-Pak envelope, marked "Delete" to:
Val-Pak Direct Marketing Systems
8605 Largo Lakes Drive
Largo, FL 33773
Question of the Week
Any new questions? We need your questions or suggestions. Please submit them to me for publication in a future issue.
THE GREEN SCENE - January 23, 2012
Recycling
Single Sort Recycling for Schools
We continue to update the list of materials that are recyclable in the schools. When packing lunches you can remind your child to throw non-compostable plastic containers in the blue bin. Acceptable items for recycling at school:
- Non-compostable plastics #1-7, which includes yogurt and other similar containers
- Foil lined cartons (some milk and juice cartons are foil lined)
- Plastic bottles, no caps
- Tin cans
- Aluminum foil
- Office paper
- Newspaper
If you have any questions, contact your school Green Team representative. Thanks for helping the schools reduce waste!
Holiday LIghts
This will be the last week to turn in old string lights.
Collection will occur Nov 15 - Jan 31, 2012, 8am - 4:30pm.
Our local drop off site is Edina City Hall.
Cathy Groat & Gina Halvorson
Green Team Representatives
cgroat@comcast.net
829-0099
