What's Up with the EcoTeam?

What’s Recyclable and What’s Just Plain Trash?

The Primary EcoTeam meets every other Monday at lunch. These students have noticed that people are confused about what items can be recycled or reused and what needs to be thrown out! To end the confusion, these dedicated eco-students have been working on recycling presentations for the school. They have visited many Earl Beatty classrooms to set the record straight on what is recyclable and reusable and what is plain trash.

Trees Can’t Do All the Work, We Can Help!

The Junior EcoTeam (JET) meets every other Friday at lunch. They have been hard at work completing an anti-idling banner that was started last year. Cars burn gas and give off toxic fumes. These fumes contribute to the greenhouse gas effect and climate change. JET hopes to have the banner ready for display soon.

JET at work on the anti-idling banner.

Recycling Posters and the Tree Planting Dedication

The Intermediate EcoTeam meets every other Thursday at lunch. Like the primary team, they have noticed the confusion about what is recyclable and what is not. These students have created and posted signs throughout the school informing students, staff and parents what we can pop in the blue and grey boxes and what we must throw in the garbage.

The Intermediate team also worked on writing a dedication that was recited at the Earth Day tree planting ceremony on April 22nd.

Good work, team, for keeping the Earl Beatty community informed about environmental issues!!

December 2009: Earl Beatty Introduces Litter Free Lunches

One of Earl Beatty’s goals this year is to become a Platinum certified EcoSchool. Becoming a Platinum certified school entails focusing student and staff efforts on minimizing Earl Beatty’s waste and energy consumption. With the goal of minimizing waste in mind, The ECO/Green Team came up with the idea of encouraging staff and students to bring litter free lunches and snacks to school. A litter free lunch is one in which nothing needs to be thrown away. Here are some tips for packing a litter free lunch:

What’s Hot!

Retro lunch kits/thermal lunch bags

Reusable plastic containers

Reusable drink bottles

Personal beverage mugs

Snacks in minimal wrapping

Recycling

What’s Not

Brown paper bags

Plastic sandwich bags

Disposable single servings

Polystyrene cups

Overpackaged, overpriced snacks

Making garbage

Did you know?

It takes a very long time for disposable products to decompose in our landfill sites. For example:

Disposable Materials: Years it takes to decompose

A paper napkin: 1 year

A milk carton or juice box: 5 years

A newspaper: 5 – 7 years

A grocery bag: 10 – 20 years

A tin can: 50 years

An aluminum can: 500 years

A water bottle: 700 years

A Styrofoam plate: 1 million years or longer

A glass bottle: 1 million years or longer

Please help Earl Beatty do all we can to help our environment and its natural resources. Make a commitment to reduce waste, reuse and recycle. Start today by packing a litter free lunch!