The Green Scene Newsletter

Happy New Year!

Environmental & Conservation Services Department is

looking forward to creating a more sustainable 2024 with you!

Recycle Mania Winners

Congratulations to the winners of the 2023-2024 RecycleMania Contest sponsored by Keep Palm Beach County Beautiful and the Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County, in partnership with the District's Environmental & Conservation Services Department.

During the FY24 school year's football season, there was record participation with six SDPBC high schools recycling more than 2,500 gallons during their Homecoming Game Day. The average waste diversion rate for all six schools was 46%! That means that nearly half of all waste generated on Homecoming Game Day was redirected from the landfill and instead converted into reusable material.

Awardees for Most Recycling

$1,500 First Place: Suncoast High School (731.25 gallons recycled)
$1,000 Second Place: Pahokee Middle/High School (682.5 gallons)
$500 Third Place: Palm Beach Central High School (633.75 gallons recycled)

Awardees for Highest Waste Diversion Rate

$1,500 First Place: John I Leonard High School (63.60%)
$1,000 Second Place: Suncoast High School (52.90%)
$500 Third Place: Pahokee Middle/High School (50%)

The Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County sponsored bonuses for the lead teachers, staff, students, and custodial team members who went the extra mile to ensure that recycling was a success on game night. Six $200 bonuses were awarded to:

Student Recycling Champions:
Caleb Torralbes, Palm Beach Central
Falina Paige, Atlantic High
Staff Recycling Champions:
Lorin West, John I Leonard; Staff Recycling Champion
Martener Senior, Suncoast High
Custodial Recycling Champions:
Osmel Rodriguez Casas, Suncoast High
Tavares Whitfield, Suncoast High.

The 3rd Annual Sustainability Symposium

The Environmental & Conservation Services Department, in partnership with Florida Power & Light (FPL) Manatee Lagoon, hosted its 3rd Annual Sustainability Symposium. The symposium featured an opening greeting from Superintendent Mike Burke, Chief Operating Officer Joseph Sanches, School Board Members Alexandria Ayala (District 2) and Erica Whitfield (District 4). Florida Power & Light, together with Manatee Lagoon, sponsored the event, which included breakfast, lunch, and a venue space overlooking the Lake Worth Lagoon.

The full-day Sustainability Symposium was attended by 87 Green Champions and teachers, who gained professional development points from hands-on topics such as Whole School Sustainability (presented by Dream in Green), Waste Reduction in the Classroom (presented by Resource Depot), Plastic Pollution, Plastic Solution (presented by Guy Harvey Foundation) and the Importance of the Lake Worth Lagoon Mullet Run (Presented by Lake Worth Water Keeper).

Five additional community organizations, including InWater Research Group, Everglades Foundation, Grassy Waters Preserve, EcoRise, and the Angari Foundation, also provided resource tables for attendees to network and learn ways to incorporate environmental education into the classroom.

The event was featured on WPTV, Teacher Sustainability Symposium Aims to Inform Educators and Inspire Students.

Sustainable Student Spotlight

Marina Barto fosters the green schools movement at Dreyfoos School of the Arts by bringing together schools, government agencies, and community groups. At the forefront of her efforts are the monthly beach cleanups she coordinates to raise awareness about plastic pollution. Her recent cleanup mobilized 100+ volunteers, removing 300+ pounds of litter from the shorelines.

Recently, Marina was featured on a local Florida Climate Week podcast, sharing valuable insights on student involvement. Her inspiring words motivated her peers to initiate their own social impact programs, contributing to a growing wave of positive change.

Isel Niera is a green schools leader at Suncoast High School where she founded the Climate Action Club. In this capacity, she leads monthly meetings with community leaders to discuss local environmental concerns. Notably, she has met with Congresswoman Lois Frankel and Congressman Jared Moskowitz to lobby for the Energy Innovation Act in collaboration with the Citizens' Climate Lobby Organization. To garner additional support, Ms. Niera organized a letter-writing event, during which 20 students composed letters to house representatives, advocating for the Energy Innovation Act.

In her most recent initiative, she hosted a question-and-answer session featuring District staff from the Environmental & Conservation Services Department. The event centered on discussions related to energy conservation and District-wide sustainability practices.

Sustainable Staff Spotlight

Recycling Revitalized at John I. Leonard High School

Ms. Lorin West, Science Teacher at John I Leonard High School, has a passion for educating her students about how they can take an active role in protecting the environment. She led her school's recycling team to win first place in this year's Recycle Mania Contest for diverting the most waste on Homecoming Game Day. She also earned a Recycle Mania Staff Champion award for going the extra mile to ensure everyone at the game recycled bottles and cans. As John I. Leonard High School's Green Champion, Ms. Lorin worked together with her

Green Team to become the first high school ever to win Loggerhead Marinelife Center's Unwrap the Waves competition. In addition to collecting nearly 10,000 candy wrappers to

recycle, John I. Leonard High School was recognized for their community involvement, student leadership and educational campaign.

April 22, 2024

Earth Day Planning Resources

April will be here before you know it!

Do you know what you are doing for Earth Day yet? Let ECS support you! Email: sustainability@palmbeachschools.org

District Green Champion Earth Day Events

Did you know that all SDPBC schools have a Green Champion? Connect with your school's Green Champion to help them plan an Earth Day Event on campus. You can find them by searching the District's Points of Contact app via the portal, or clicking the link below.

Points of Contact (District intranet only)

2024 Earth Day Activity Guides

In these guides, you'll discover a wealth of teaching resources centered around Earth Day, designed to inspire students to become environmental stewards and help take care of our planet.

Download Guides

Find an Event Near You

Navigate the EARTHDAY.ORG Global Event Map to effortlessly discover nearby initiatives – simply input your location and explore a world of impactful opportunities.

View the Map

Let's Get Involved!

Help Reduce Food Waste

in K-12 Florida Schools

Looking for a creative, impactful way to get your students involved in Food Waste Prevention Week? Start planning now! Check out a list of children's books, K-12 student art contest, school food waste audit, and teaching videos! You will even find in-class Food Waste Curricula & resources, including Food Waste Bingo and more!

Learn More

School Contest:

TO FLUSH OR NOT TO FLUSH

Do you know what happens in the sewer system after you flush? Why is it a problem to use toilets as trash cans? To help creatively answer these questions and explain what does or does not belong down toilets, the Florida Water Environment Association is looking for public service announcements or video entries. You can create a newscast, news story, skit, animation, commercial or a music video.

Learn More

Carton Recycling in District Schools

The average US school throws out 75,000 carton a year. That's a lot of waste! Are you interested in making a big impact to reduce waste at your school? Sign up for an informational session with the Carton Council where you will learn about the resources and grant funding available to help schools recycle milk and juice cartons.