Special to the Trail-Gazette
Students, staff, and faculty at Estes Park Middle School were recently presented with the May 2013 Recycler of the Month Award by the League of Women Voters & Community Recycling Committee. The LWV&CRC recognizes a local business or organization each month for leadership, commitment, or innovation in practicing the 3Rs of "Reduce, Reuse,and Recycle."
For the students and employees of Estes Park Middle School, commitment to recycling and the environment is a tradition. Led and inspired by students and supported by faculty advisors and staff, the school participates in a variety of sustainability programs.
Members of the environmental club, known as the "Plastic Pulverizers," led a campaign to reduce the use of plastics and save the school district money by replacing plastic cutlery with metal cutlery in the cafeteria. Using EcoChallenge award money they'd won the year previously, students purchased metal cutlery and a magnetic bin lid for the school cafeteria.
The Student Council has worked with school janitors and Waste Management to collect and recycle paper from classrooms for about five years. This past year, the students also began collecting traditionally hard-to-recycle items in the lunchroom and shipping the materials to Terracycle, where they could be recycled or "upcycled" into new products. By collecting foil juice packets, plastic snack packaging and milk cartons, the group reduced the amount of trash going to the landfill from three bags a day to one.
"I'm proud of our students and their initiative to reduce waste in our school," said Ruby Bode, middle school principal. "They're environmentally aware and really make a difference in an area they're passionate about."
She added that the school's recycling programs support the school district's end goals of promoting civic duty and environmental stewardship.
The Pulverizers included Skylar Shumate, Christy Kearsley, Kaezan Tag, Kelley Dennison, Daniel Menger, Hunter Sallee, Mariah Pena, Alina Frontczak and Kelston Glassman, and were mentored by faculty advisor Jennifer Taylor.
Student Council members included Ted Dumont, Ben Switzer, Skylar Shumate, Savannah Erskine, Mary Ringgenberg, Aspen Turner, Mariah Pena, Bailey Ash and Molly Morgan, and were supported by faculty advisors Carol Carner and Allison Skapin. Erin Curran, a parent, volunteered numerous hours helping coordinate between the students and Terracycle.
Bode said a major component to the school's recycling success is the enthusiastic support of the janitors. "We couldn't recycle as we do without Andrew Sweet and Keller Patterson," she said. "They're awesome!"
She said the lunchroom staff's assistance was also critical to the Student Council being able to initiate their Terracycle program.
The LWV&CRC welcomes suggestions for other Estes Park businesses and organizations that deserve to be recognized for reducing, reusing and recycling. Pass ideas to Judi Smith at 586-4530.
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