Waste Management: Recycle America Field Trip

The SPC Green Club on a Magic School Bus ride to.....

A Landfill!

Our trip on 12/5 focused mainly on learning about and witnessing recycling as well as understanding recyclable commodities. We learned that being green and thinking green really make sense in this economy!  It was explained to us that our economy can be more enhanced, not threatened, by green initiatives.

Our presenter, Rori, was exceptional and she helped us clearly understand the tasks at hand in regards to recycling and why we need to recycle and recover items throughout our daily lives. She explained what a "bale" is and we talked about some green jobs related to the facility.  Ask any Green Club student about the specifics of "The Rule of Palm" or why the landfill workers set off firecrackers from time to time.  The club might even be able to tell you what the layers of a landfill are: does a landfill use dirt or crushed wood in the layering process?  We touched on the topics of decomposition and learned the difference between aerobic and anaerobic. The questions the club asked during the lecture were outstanding. The students were attentive and it was such a worthwhile trip. Our awe and pride in the members of Green Club continues to grow.

We are hopeful the Club will remember a lot of these facts throughout the holidays as more and more "things" come into our homes.

Where is AWAY?  That is the question!

   

A GREEN CLUBBER'S NOTES OF INTEREST FROM OUR TRIP
Commodities-  the end product that is sold once recycleables are sorted & baled.
 "The Rule of Palm"- if the plastic cap of a container is smaller than your palm, put it back on the container.
Prepare- PLEASE clean out your recycleables as dirty items end up in a land fill
Separate- be sure to take that metal lid off of the glass jar before tossing in the recycling bin
Empty- be sure to empty out the aluminum can before it's tossed in the recycling bin (added liquid could impact the final sale of a bale. If too much liquid exists in the cans, the bale will be rejected.)
Bale- many recycleables are crunched into large squares for ease in transport and selling.

Our presenter also stressed how important our decisions are even before we purchase an item 

DURING THE HOLIDAYS, REMEMBER TO ASK THESE QUESTIONS:

-Does this item have too much packaging? (the less packaging, the better)

-Do I really need it? (or will it end up in the landfill in a month?)

-Did I remember my reusable bags? (just say NO to plastic bags!)

Wishing you a very Green and thoughtful Christmas Season!

What a busy day we had yesterday to celebrate AMERICA RECYCLES DAY!

The Green Team challenged St. Paul of the Cross students (and parents!) to pack a waste free lunch for an extra day in honor of America Recycles Day and we are happy to report that many families rose to the challenge! SPC accepted no lunch trash in our big red cans. There were buckets to collect compost-able materials near most of the trash cans and they were filled to the brim. A big THANK YOU to Mrs. Niego who was kind enough to collect those buckets to use for her compost bin. That will be one lucky garden in the spring! WAY TO GO, SPC!

Then the Green Club met in the library to have lunch together and celebrate this "high holiday". As usual the conversation was lively and the enthusiasm was palpable. We watched a really cool short video about speaking out about issues that are important to us. Check it out if you have time (it's only about 5 minutes) www.storyofstuff.org  This group of eco-conscience students is an incredible example of using ones voice in a positive manner to affect change. What an inspiration they are to all of us. Thank you to Mrs. Whalen who was there to help during our lunch meeting! We have a lot of exciting plans for the future, so stay tuned!


To round off a busy and fun filled day, a Group of Green Clubbers and some friends headed to the Trashy Fashion show put on by SWANCC at the Skokie Holiday Inn. The Clubbers were incredibly helpful in handing out programs to the guests and assisting in seating. In true SPC style, they were respectful and well behaved. We are so proud of this Club! We watched a fantastic show of garments made from garbage-REMARKABLE! So inspiring in fact that we wouldn't be surprised to see a few entries from our Clubbers next year!

We are so thankful for the opportunity to work with your children and to be in a community that has open minds and hearts. Together we can all work to better our world for today and for generations to come. Wishing you a Thanksgiving break filled with love and family. May God continue to bless the families of St. Paul of the Cross.

With Affection,
Jamie Hasemeier + Amy Bartucci

Hello From the One Earth SPC Green Club!

It is almost November and we have  a lot of reminders for you!  Please excuse this interruption.

November is the month of America Recycles Day!  Let’s do our BEST effort with recycling as well as packing waste free.  REMEMBER:  WASTE FREE WEDNESDAY!  Please get those containers out as a reminder to take care while packing your lunches!

On America Recycles Day we will be having an EXTRA WASTE FREE DAY.  IT IS A THURSDAY!  November 15th.  Please mark your calendars and check the website Thursday mailings to make sure you pack waste free to honor this day.  WE WILL NOT ACCEPT ANY TRASH ON NOVEMBER 15th DURING LUNCH.  You are asked to bring a waste free lunch with any recyclables.  Any trash will be sent back home.  WATCH THE CALENDAR!

We are collecting $1 til November 15th to help purchase a recycling receptacle for outside the EGC.  Please be a good steward and bring a dollar to help our campus continue to answer the call to care for CREATION.  More info is in the Thursday Mailing.

Lastly, WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 7th is a very important GREEN CLUB MEEETING.  Please make sure past and present members plan to attend during lunch and recess as we will be handing out permission forms for a few activities.  This may be the only way to get your permission form!  Events are coming up FAST!  The Trashy Fashion Show and a Recycling Plant are two of our next events.

THANK YOU!

NO IDLING STUDY BY ONE EARTH GREEN CLUB STUDENTS AT SPC!

You may have seen a scientific study being conducted around our campus in October at dismissal.  It was very eye opening!  One Earth Green Club students are collecting data three times this year in order to report findings on idling at pickup and increase awareness of our school's No Idling Campaign.  The main objective is to create a positive atmosphere while adding scientific facts about a very common problem in our society.  The info below is inspiring and is being posted as a reminder that efforts placed this year are meant to create a healthier environment for our children and our future.  This is not a lesson in becoming a judge of others or meant to criticize our community.  This is a lesson in taking care of our planet and changing habits one day at a time!  

http://www.cleanaircampaign.org/Blog/Students-Choose-Clean-Air-As-Part-of-Clean-Commute-Week#.UIFXKW_LSM5

We have posted this information before, but it is very worthy of an extra click these days as we will start to feel the cooler temperatures and chill in the air!  This is the truth about idling.  This is why we hold on to our mission and find various ways to improve our sustainability efforts on campus.

http://www.cleanaircampaign.org/Your-Air-Quality-Transportation/The-Truth-About-Idling

NO IDLING CAR MAGNETS ARE AVAILABLE!  Please consider adding your support to our effort and become a leader on our campus.  We need all the clean air we can get!  See Amy Bartucci for further info or email aeb925@gmail.com

hi one earth club & friends!

this is a great outing for us all to enjoy.  we will pass out permission forms at our next meeting on 11/7.  if you need a ride, we will have a place on the form to indicate that - so don't worry!

just please keep the date open if you're interested in seeing some awesome trashy fashions and getting inspired by super eco-conscious people.

***we will be wearing our OWN fashions to the event!***

 please make sure you have purchased a 

SPC One Earth T Shirt (any of the 3 styles works!) so that we can take our annual group photo at the show.

contact amy bartucci for sizes and styles.

t shirts are $14

Get Your Green On!

We had an exciting and thoughtful discussion today at Green Club. Thanks to all who packed waste free!

We tried but failed to watch a super cool video recently given to us by SWANCC. We thought posting it here would be helpful for all who want to see it.
http://www.storyofstuff.org/movies-all/story-of-change/         


Did you know that plastic does NOT bio-degrade? It photo-degrades, meaning that it only breaks down into smaller pieces and never goes away. It's a daily challenge to live life with less plastic. I try so hard every day to see where I can cut plastic out of my life, but sometimes it's so difficult! Here's an interesting vid that will get you thinking the next time you reach for a plastic water bottle.
http://www.storyofstuff.org/movies-all/story-of-bottled-water/

In fact, this whole website is worth a stroll....http://www.storyofstuff.org/

Hope you have a fantastic week!
Ecologically yours,
Jamie Hasemeier + Amy Bartucci

We are totally GEEKING OUT over the programming we caught this week on the radio and TV.

The first bit of incredible news is a startling story and conversation about the melting ice in the Arctic. If you have a few minutes while helping mom + dad get dinner ready, give this a listen: http://onpoint.wbur.org/2012/09/24/a-new-low-for-arctic-ice

The second bit I stumbled upon last night on PBS. It's a NOVA program series called "Making Stuff:". (If you think PBS is for nerds, think again. Don't forget how cool Elmo is and he's on PBS!) The episode I caught is called "Making Stuff: Cleaner". Watch this with the whole family because it is fascinating!! Serious science and a few laughs along the way, thanks to the host David Pogue. (P.S. I learned so much.) http://video.pbs.org/video/1768954299/

Scientist are working hard to help our environment. Let's hope that each new year will bring changes to our markets that will help make our environment healthier. We all need help to learn to live ZERO WASTE lives.
Have a fabulous 3 day weekend, friends!
Your Greeniac Friends, Mrs. Hasemeier + Mrs. Bartucci

WAG is SWAG!
That's what our newest 5th grade members of the One Earth Green Club think!  Chanting WAG (We Are Green!) helped our members stay enthusiastic as we visited area businesses inviting them to participate in our paper drive on 9/29.  Some of our 6th graders were busy calculating some measureable data that is always helpful when thinking about improving our planet.  The students were busy crunching numbers of how many plastic bottles are manufactured and eventually wasted in our lives.  They will report their knowledge as well as hang their results on our bulletin board section titled: As A Matter Of Fact.  Thank you to Mrs Whalen for joining the group too!  The 7th grade members are enjoying the club this year as well and had a big turnout for the walking trip.  Thanks to everyone for all their support.  A big reminder goes out to those who have been having a difficult time remembering to be Waste Free Proud.  The library doesn't have receptacles for throwing lunch trash away!  If you come to Green Club we ask that you come Waste Free and we like to use the honor system.  Go Green!

September Green Club News

Hi Everyone!
Yes, we had 3 new members attend Green Club Canvasing today which means our school energy is getting higher and higher!  We will pack a lot into our weeks and months ahead.  Please check out this list of Suggested Reading for Students if you have any extra time at the library.  http://www.eeweek.org/resources/green_reading.htm

Additionally please check out the following website for further reading and learning about climate change.  Has the current drought got you thinking about this at all?
http://epa.gov/climatechange/kids/index.html

We look forward to a successful paper drive on 9/29.  All One Earth Green Club members should have a separate place at home where paper gets easily separated in order to return to our Abitibi Paper Retriever bins in the parking lot.

The Stunning Mt. Rainier

Yes. This is a real picture. From my camera. Of Mt. Rainier in the state of Washington. If you're thinking I had a Fraulein Maria moment while there, you are correct! The hills were alive! 

This is one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. Stunning views; high cliffs; rushing glacier rivers; ice cold water falls; snow still on the ground in August; carpets of wildflowers! 

It reminded me of why I feel called to help take care of this beautiful and delicate planet. 

If you've been to a beautiful place that inspired you, 

share it with us!

Email your pics to oneearthspc@gmail.com and you might see your photo on the One Earth SPC blog!

Hello, Friends!

It's "Back to School" time and with each year, the SPC Green Movement continues to gain momentum. This blog will serve as an information highway about what Green things are shaking on campus.

BIG, BRIGHT NEWS!

The Solar Panels from the Grant awarded to SPC by the Illinois Clean Energy Department will be installed soon on the UGC. This is an incredible opportunity for every student, teacher, mom, dad, grandparent + neighbor to learn about solar energy. We will be able to monitor the energy produced by the panels via a web portal in real time. We are so lucky to be a part of this program!

Stay tuned into what's new right here with information that will be updated weekly! 

Fantastic Opportunity BEFORE SCHOOL STARTS

Greetings Parents and Green Clubbers!  School is almost in session, and we are getting geared up!  There are new opportunities for us to consider.  For eager beavers who would like to get some activities in before school even starts, read on!  We will send a separate email about the 2nd opportunity shortly.

Sarah McDermott's mom brought a team of enthusiastic and hard working people to see our Green Club during our last waste free lunch in the late spring.  They were very inspired by our efforts and they have invited us to be a part of and present to a team of leaders in sustainability in different industries.  What does this mean?  Basically, they like what we do and they want to know more about what we do and they know that we can improve the state of our planet, together!  See the following:

Dear SPC Green Team--

 

I really enjoyed meeting you and learning about all of your activities in school!  You really inspired all of us here at work. There is no doubt in my mind that you are going to change the world.  So I thought if you were up to the challenge, you could start by talking with some key leaders in sustainability. Here is the proposition: You present what you are doing and provide a little show and tell. Then you can ask anything you want to the sustainability leaders in the audience. We want to hear from you—our future!  Your genuine curiosity and desire to change this world of ours will inspire all the leaders to take action.  During the Sustainability Council we will be asking the leaders to commit to guiding principles and measure sustainability from grass to glass. It has never been done before, so I am calling in you for reinforcementsJ 

Sustainable Regards,

Erin Fitzgerald

So, we are wondering if you would like to help them by participating in the event.

AUGUST 21, 2012  9am-930am

Chicago Ohare Hotel and Conference Center

5440 N River Road

Rosemont, IL 60018

(Mrs Hasemeier and I can carpool!)

If you can attend the Sustainability Council Meeting at 9am on the 21st, please also commit to a planning session(s).  We plan to get together to get ourselves ready to present!  

These are mandatory meeting times:

Thursday, Aug 16th 9:15 - 10:15-Park Ridge Library -in the kid's section

Friday, Aug 17th 9:15 - 10:15-Park Ridge Library -in the kid's section

We'll wear our SPC waste free shirts and/or other SPC spirit wear to the council meeting on the 21st.  We should have a great time!  It's exciting that we can be a part of something so big and use our voices to make a change in the world~

Please respond to this email or plan to call Mrs Bartucci or Mrs Hasemeier on our cell phones if you have questions.