Go Green Initiative

This recycle team promotes environmental awareness in the Brushy Creek Community. They also promote the collection of various recyclables such as ink cartridges and cell phones (benefiting the school directly) and Paper Recycling (benefiting the Student Council) and new venues for recycling.

The goals of the Go Green Initiative at Brushy Creek Elementary:

- Reduce environmental footprint
- Share ideas, and
- Make it contagious!

------------------------------------------------------------------------

How is BCE reducing our environmental footprint?

- Watt Watchers
- Recycling Efforts by Student Council

Our Paper Retriever makes money for our Student Council. The largest part of today's landfills are paper products. Such a waste! Help increase the life of our landfills and make money for our school. Bring your papers to our Green Paper Retriever in the front of the school--place a box in your kitchen and as you open all the junk mail and pitch all the catalogs and magazines fill the box up. You will be amazed how fast this happens and it doesn't take much extra effort to drop it by school. Just please avoid bus times for drop off. For more information visit: http://www.paperretriever.com/

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sharing our ideas:

Did you know...

Batteries are not to be just thrown away? Household batteries and electronics often contain dangerous chemicals that may, if sent to a local landfill, leak through the bottom barrier and pollute the groundwater. This can contaminate everything from the soil in which our food grows, to the water which will eventually come out of aquifers and into our tap water. So what do you do?

IKEA has a recycle area at the checkout! They recycle plastic bags, Batteries and Light bulbs.

Speaking of Light bulbs--whoa, I didn't even know about this until recently. All Light bulbs should be recycled, but especially the Energy Efficient Light bulbs that we are all using now (you know, the cute curly ones!) They contain Mercury while extremely energy efficient and safe in the bulb when they go into a landfill and get broken through pressure the mercury escapes and poses a threat.

Computers... Dell's Recycle Program Check it out for more details!

What about Ink Cartridges and Cell Phones? Send them to school with your student and the teachers can put them to good use and turn them into cash through school program recycling!

Every Day is Recycling Day! 

We checked http://www.earth911.org/ for recycling centers in our area and what they recycle!

------------------------------------------------------------------------

What else can we do?

 * Replace regular light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs
This switch will save about 300 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. If every family in the U.S. made the switch, wed reduce carbon dioxide by more than 90 billion pounds!

 * Move your thermostat down 2° in winter and up 2° in summer
You could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple adjustment.

 * Clean or replace filters on your furnace and air conditioner
Cleaning a dirty air filter can save 350 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.

* Recycle paper
For every ton of paper that is recycled 7,000 gallons of water are saved and 380 gallons of oil are saved.

* Recycle Aluminum
You can run a TV for six hours on the amount of electricity that is saved by recycling one aluminum can.

* Recycle Glass
By recycling just one glass bottle, you save enough electricity to power a 100-watt bulb for four hours.

* Wrap your water heater in an insulation blanket
You will save 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple action. You can save another 550 pounds per year by setting the thermostat no higher than 120 degrees.

* Use less hot water
You can use less hot water by installing a low flow showerhead and washing your clothes in cold or warm water instead of hot.

* Use a clothesline instead of a dryer whenever possible
You can save 700 pounds of carbon dioxide when you air dry your clothes for 6 months out of the year.

* Use reusable grocery produce bags 

* Use reusable water bottles and coffee cups

* Buy recycled products and products with less packaging

* Say No to ATM and Fuel receipts

* Turn off the water while you brush or shave

------------------------------------------------------------------------

There are thousands of ways to help the environment and make your household greener. Be sure to involve the whole family and start off slow or jump right in every little bit helps!

NOW - Let's make it CONTAGIOUS!!!