Grades of Green
A PTA Program to increase environmental awareness through education.
What can be Recycled? An excerpt from our Waste Management Contract
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TRASH FREE TUESDAYS
Help your child make a difference by packing them a lunch that doesn’t generate any trash. It builds their self esteem, promotes healthy eating, and helps save our planet! Take a step and pack a trash free lunch!
REDUCE JUNK MAIL
Did you know that each adult citizen receives an average of 41 pounds of junk mail each year? And wastes an average of 8 hours to deal with it? Over 40% of this mail goes to the landfill unopened. Get off the unsolicited mailing lists to save energy, paper, and time by visiting the following websites:
www.greendimes.com or www.41pounds.org
www.newdream.org/junkmail/
www.catalogchoice.org/dashboard/
www.directmail.com/directory/mail_preference/
www.optoutprescreen.com/?rft
www.nativeforest.org/stop_junk_mail/nfn_junk_mail_guide.htm
VISIT THE LIBRARY
Make a habit of going to the library. By borrowing books, we keep paper and plastic out of production, saving trees and oil. More than 3.1 million books are purchased in the United States each year, and most are made from non-recycled paper and petroleum-based ink. For every 10,000 books that are reused, 85 trees are spared. Visit Book Crossing to release your books “into the wild.”
CHOOSE SUSTAINABLE FISH
Scientists predict there will be no more seafood by 2048 unless we change current unsustainable fishing methods. When shopping for seafood, take along an easy-to-use pocket guide or tap into a phone-text service that will help you determine whether that Chilean sea bass is eco-friendly (it probably isn’t). To find out sustainability by phone, send a text message to 30644 with the message FISH in all caps, followed by the name of the fish you are curious about. Taking a few minutes to consider our best options at the store or restaurant is easy, and if enough of us do it, we’ll go a long way toward making sure seafood is around for future generations.
ELIMINATE UNWANTED CATALOGS
Eliminate unwanted mail-order catalogs: www.catalogchoice.org
REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE, and RETHINK
Education starts at home. Make sure you take the time to listen next time your child has something to teach you! Take a step and make the environment a priority at home.
GRADES OF GREEN’S AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
- LA County Green Leadership Award
- 2009 EPA Environmental Award
- Certificate of Congressional Commendation
- South Bay Environmental Hero Award
- Environmental SBBEC Steward of the Year
- Environmental Education Award
- Speaker at the “Adventures in Sustainability” Forum in Ontario
- U.S. Mayoral Conference “National” Award for Successful Public/Private Partnership
Click Here for More Grades of Green Earth Tips
