Lincoln Public Schools continues to serve as a community leader in waste management. During the 2018-19 school year, 1.25 million pounds of recyclables were collected, and over 1.27 million pounds of organic material was collected for composting. Prior to the compost program, there was a district wide goal to achieve a 25% recycling rate. This means that 25% of material thrown away in the district would be diverted from the landfill and recycled instead. We are very excited to report that the diversion rate reached 45% with the added composting efforts.
Environmental impact reports are now available for the 2018-19 school year. As a result of recycling efforts last year, LPS saved:
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9,215 trees
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2,222,349 kWh of energy
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3,794,255 gallons of water
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1,789 cubic yard of local landfill space
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35,522 lbs of air pollution
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222,235 gallons of fuel
Hartley Elementary, Randolph Elementary, Lincoln High, and North Star began composting this school year. This means the compost program is now district wide in our 57 standard cafeterias! LPS students and staff are making a difference by diverting recyclables and organic material from the landfill. Click here to learn more about LPS’ recycling and composting efforts.
The green schools recognition program is back for the 2019-20 school year! Read all about the many available green activities you can do at your school and set a goal for earning points AND funding for a sustainability project! This program is available for all schools to participate, and ANYONE can report activities - teachers, parents, CLC staff, etc. Just remember to take a picture for your submission!
Click HERE to read more about the program and start picking your green school activities!
The beginning of the school year holds many opportunities to pursue sustainable projects within your school! One of those opportunities, Green Apple Day of Service, is an international initiative to organize a day of action uniting communities to transform our schools into safe, healthy and sustainable learning environments. You can find out more about this program and get project ideas on the Green Apple Website.
We hope that you will consider planning a Green Apple Day of Service this school year, and we also have some UNL Environmental Studies students ready to help again this semester! These students are available to help with generating project ideas, planning, and/or carrying out the project. If you are interested in partnering with UNL for a Green Apple Day of Service please fill out this INTEREST FORM by TOMORROW.
This month’s Sustainability School Spotlight is Sheridan Elementary! LaVonne Hanlon, the school librarian, is beginning her fourth year leading the school’s Green Team. Click here to read more about Sheridan Elementary!
The Pershing Elementary garden is growing into a lively educational space for students and the nearby community. Click here to read more!
What can you do to help the recycling industry? Head to the City of Lincoln Solid Waste Management website and read more about how consumers can help close the loop on the recycling process.
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