Forest Creek Go Green Committee
Forest Creek Elementary continues to be registered with the Go Green Initiative (www.gogreeninitiative.org ) which is a “comprehensive program designed to teach environmental responsibility on school campuses”.
We are ongoing with our desire to promote increased awareness of better environmentally friendly practices through programs with education, taking action, and sharing new ‘green’ knowledge with other students, families, and our community. There are many opportunities to make a difference with volunteering in the Go Green Committee, please contact the PTA Environmental Chair (Jennifer Stoner – asjstoner@hotmail.com )if you are interested in helping out.
******Texas Recycles Day is November 15th! ******
Remember that everything you recycle comes back to you! Make that change and start recycling.
Our theme of the month is 'Waste-Free' lunches!
Teaching our students more awareness of less waste when we eat lunch is very important!
Please check out the Go Green bulletin board for examples of what makes up a waste-free lunch...on Friday November 20th, during lunch every student with a 'waste-free' lunch will receive a 'waste-free lunch' howl ticket!
-HOLIDAY CATALOG/MAGAZINE STACKING CONTEST!!
Save all those magazines and catalogs you keep getting in the mail...from Monday December 7th thru Friday December 11th, have your coyote bring in these magazines to stack up in the classroom! Whichever class has the tallest stack...wins! They will receive recognition for their huge recycling efforts w/ a class photo in the Round Rock Leader, and awarded the special Go Green Recycling trophy for their room!
Heavy stacks mean more paper in the paper retriever outside the school, which means more $$$ for Forest Creek too!
Reduce, Reuse, and Recycling on Campus
Reducing overall trash or waste produced by the school is an important part of taking care of our earth. Forest Creek students are encouraged to bring ‘waste-free’ lunches from home, which include reusable/washable containers for drinks and food, zip lock containers that can be washed out, and cloth napkins. Help our school reduce cafeteria waste!
Reusing and recycling materials is always encouraged promoting less trash in the landfills. Reuse of all paper and paper scraps is a constant practice in the art room, as well as many classrooms during the day. At Forest Creek, we are currently recycling: Capri Sun, Honest Kid, and Minute Maid juice pouches in the cafeteria (www.terracycle.net) ; plastic water bottles in classrooms and cafeteria (Cindy Loftis, 2nd grade), ink jet/toner printer cartridges and cell phones (supporting library, www.fundingfactory.com ), and paper products with Friday recycling round up (Abitibi green bins outside school). The Garden Club teaches the importance of growing fruits, vegetables, and herbs, and also utilizing collected water from the recycled plastic water bottles to help water the gardens.
Walk to School Wednesday’s
Our Walk to School Wednesday’s was kicked off this year on October 7th, with International Walk to School Day. Chick-fil-A was out with the famous ‘cow’ helping to pass out coupons, and making sure each child who walked, biked, or rode the bus was given their ‘punchcard’ to mark how many times they helped out with a better environmental choice and keeping physically active too! Students can keep track with their punchcards until they turn them in at the end of the school year for prizes!
We realize that not everyone can walk to school. We are encouraging those who can not walk safely to school to ride the bus or if they are driven to school, park a few blocks from school and walk in. This too encourages physical activity, gives parents the opportunity to teach safe walking skills, reduces traffic congestion (car idling pollution!), and it all around helps the environment!
Next Walk to School Day is….Wednesday, November 4th! Volunteers needed to help stamp hands, please contact Jennifer Stoner, asjstoner@hotmail.com .
Fundraising for GO GREEN
The money we gain from recycling juice pouches, and ink-jet/toner cartridges and cell phones, and paper goes towards the PTA and the library . These funds help purchase Go Green supplies such as bins for the cafeteria collection and bins for the classrooms, as well as environmentally friendly prizes to help encourage more reducing, redusing, and recycling with our students!
EXCITING GO GREEN NEWS!
E-Folders!
Our School and PTA goal of reducing the amount of paper sent home in Thursday folders is here! As a first step, we encourage families to sign up through E-News on the Forest Creek website to get electronic copies of the following:
• RRISD after-school activities (i.e. MadScience, Abrakadoodle)
• RRISD information flyers (newsletter, food-service notes, etc)
• Forest Creek Coyote News
• PTA information (only FYI notes that do not requiring a return-signature)
Once signed up, your child’s Thursday folder will contain much less paper… thus reducing waste, and importantly re-directing the funds saved from copying papers towards other important programs at Forest Creek. Look for the sticker on the Thursday folder indicating that you are signed up for E-News. Thanks for helping reduce paper waste!
E-News Thursday folders are here!
As of Thursday November 5th, those who signed up for E-News can click the link via the Forest Creek webpage to access any Thursday folder information flyer! Please let us know either way...paper or E-news....extra flyers are located on the Go Green bulletin board.
*Great response so far!! Almost 50% of the school responded to the sign up...and of these, 85% of you prefer to have Thursday folders sent electronically! That cuts the paper copying per flyer by 50%....that's a savings of $8.00 per flyer per week! Think how that will add up, and give more money to more important programs at Forest Creek. Thank you to Sandra Pious for all her hard work to help make this happen, and all the front office staff for the support and work too! Valerie Rollans is one of the key people to turn these papers into electronic mail...thank you! Thursday folder volunteers....you are key to implementing this program! Don't forget to check the E-News bulletin board in the workroom everytime you volunteer!
*Paperless Thursday folders continue to require weekly efforts to make sure the system has all the classrooms and Thursday folder volunteers on board and knowledgeable w/ how it works. If anyone is interested in assisting w/ myself and Sandra for continued success with this environmentally friendly Thursday folder program..please contact me @ asjstoner@hotmail.com .
Harvest Festival – Look for recycling bins at various locations for plastic bottles and aluminum cans…look for the boy scouts to help out with the collection of these materials!
Tip of the Month
Go to www.earth911.com for great facts, suggestions, and links to GO GREEN!
TIPS: 1. Power Down
The fossil fuels burned to provide a single home with electricity put more carbon dioxide into the air than two average cars. Use less energy by turning off lights and unplugging appliances when you don’t need them.
Even a cell phone charger continues to use energy when plugged in, whether your cell phone is charging or not. If you use a power strip, you can turn off several appliances with the flip of just one switch. Bonus points: Each time you wear out an appliance, replace it with a more energy-efficient model.
2. Check Your Temperature
Sometimes a small change in temperature can have big results. Try keeping your thermostat one to two degrees warmer in the summer and one to two degrees cooler in the winter. This will lower your electricity bill and save a wealth of energy over the course of the year.
Also, adjust your refrigerator thermostat to save additional energy. Storing food at the recommended temperatures – 37 to 40 degrees F for the fresh food compartment and 5 degrees F for the frozen food compartment – will guarantee your refrigerator doesn’t work harder than it has to and make it last even longer.
RECYCLING CENTERS
Pflugerville has a new recycling center located In Northeast Metropolitan Park (NEMP). The facility accepts scrap metal, batteries, appliances, motor oil, tree limbs/brush, cardboard and paper. The City is excited to announce that through a partnership with Ecology Action of Texas, the Recycling Center also accepts glass!
See www.cityofpflugerville.com for more details.