Click here to find out the results of the 2008 Earth Day Challenge for Sunnyvale Elementary Schools!
Reduced-cost RAFT Memberships Available for Sunnyvale Teachers
Teachers at public and private schools in Sunnyvale (with City/Specialty garbage service) can receive a yearlong Resource Area for Teaching (RAFT) membership at a reduced rate of $10, courtesy of the City of Sunnyvale. There is a limited supply of memberships available at this price and they are offered on a first come, first served basis.
Teachers interested in a membership may contact RAFT at (408) 451-1520, email RAFT or visit RAFT at 1355 Ridder Park Dr. in San Jose.
In Previous News:
School Announcements Archive
Celebrate America Recycles Day on Nov. 15!
Your school can participate in America Recycles Day by educating staff and students about how to recycle at school and by making a commitment to buy recycled products.
Visit the America Recycles Day website for a list of local events, a calculator to determine the positive impact of your recycling efforts and the opportunity to make a pledge to improve your recycling efforts.
Dream Green Kitchens Workshop Available Online
You can now watch or listen to a podcast of the April 18 "Dream Green Kitchens" workshop online. Author-expert Jennifer Roberts talks about what green means when it comes to the kitchen, the nation's most frequently remodeled room. Roberts is the author of three acclaimed books on green homes: Good Green Kitchens, Redux and Good Green Homes. Learn about techniques, materials and products being used today to create kitchens that are beautiful, healthier for people and easier on the planet.
Enjoy the Holidays, Without the Waste!
Between Thanksgiving and the New Year an extra million tons of waste are generated nationwide each week. This holiday season, you can enjoy the holidays while still doing your part to reduce waste. Here are some ideas:
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Give an experience - such as gift certificates, concert tickets or gifts of your time. Or make a charitable donation in someone's name. Visit Santa Clara County's website for some environmentally-friendly gift ideas.
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Have zero-waste holiday celebrations - use reusable plates, napkins and decorations rather than disposable ones!
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Consider purchasing a live holiday tree and donating or planting it after the holidays.
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If you order gifts from a catalog, avoid junk mail by asking that your information not be shared with other companies.
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Use reusable cloth bags for your holiday shopping
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Purchase holiday cards and wrapping paper with the highest post-consumer recycled content.
After the holidays:
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Cut off the backs of unwanted holiday cards, put them in an envelope and mail them to:
Resource Area for Teaching
1355 Ridder Park Dr.
San Jose, CA 95131
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Recycle gift wrap & (non-live) holiday trees
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Save and reuse any gift bags, boxes, and bows.
Visit the California Department of Conservation’s online Green Gift Guide for additional information on buying, decorating and being "green" during the holidays.
You can also learn how to "Simplify Your Holidays".
Have a wondeful holiday season!
Celebrate America Recycles Day on Nov. 15!
Your school can join in on the celebration by letting students and staff know how to recycle at school and about buying recycled-products.
The California Recycles Day website contains links to recycling curriculum for teachers and a list of events happening in California. Send an email to the California ARD coordinator today to request free ARD bookmarks or posters for your school.
The Build It Green Home Tour will be held in Santa Clara County on Oct. 1, 2006 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $15. Visit the Build It Green website or call 1-888-404-7336 for details.
Change in State's Universal Waste Rules
California’s Universal Waste Rules, effective since February 8, 2002, permitted specific waste generators (such as households and businesses generating small quantities) to send specified products with hazardous constituents to the landfill rather than requiring that they be recycled or handled by a hazardous waste hauler. This disposal allowance expired as of February 9, 2006.
As of Feb 9, 2006, no amount of any of the following universal waste items can be legally disposed of in the garbage:
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Fluorescent, high intensity discharge, neon, mercury vapor, high pressure sodium and metal halide lamps
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Batteries (all types)
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Consumer electronic devices with a battery or circuit board (e.g. computers, printers, VCRs, stereos, copiers, telephones, cell phones, radios and some appliances like microwave ovens)
You can find a list of recycling companies for batteries, fluorescent lamps/bulbs, electronics and many more items on our Recycling Resources website. You can also call the Commercial Recycling Program at (408) 730-7484 or email us for assistance.
For additional information on the rule, please visit the Department of Toxic Substances Control’s Universal Waste website at www.dtsc.ca.gov/HazardousWaste/UniversalWaste, email them or call (800) 728-6942.
Phone Book Recycling Challenge Results (12/04)
Phone Book Recycling Challenge
Oct. 15 - Nov. 15 (12/04)
The City of Sunnyvale has partnered with SBC Smart Yellow Pages® and elementary schools in the Sunnyvale School District to encourage students to recycle old phone books. Between October 15 and November 15, students at Cherry Chase Elementary, Cumberland Elementary, Fairwood Elementary and Vargas Elementary will have the opportunity to compete for prizes as they learn valuable lessons about recycling.
Recycling phone books can have a significant and positive impact on the environment. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, one ton of paper made from recycled fibers instead of virgin fibers can save 17 trees, 60 pounds of air pollution and 7,000 gallons of water – enough for nearly 300 showers.
SBC Smart Yellow Pages® will deliver new Sunnyvale phone books between October 15 and November 2, and special recycling bins will be available beginning October 14. The school that collects the most phone books per student will receive free Togo's sandwiches. The class with the highest total will also receive prize bags with t-shirts, recycled-content rulers and other fun prizes.
Apart from the contest, the City of Sunnyvale accepts phone books for recycling year-round, both in curbside newspaper-recycling bins and at the SMaRT Station® Recycling Center.
The Results:
Between October 15 and November 15, 2004, students at Cherry Chase Elementary, Cumberland Elementary, Fairwood Elementary and Vargas Elementary collected phone books and had the opportunity to compete for prizes as they learned valuable lessons about recycling.
Fairwood Elementary School collected the most phone books and received a Togo's lunch for the entire school. Among classes competing in the classroom challenge, Mr. Sugrue's 4th grade class at Fairwood School collected the most phone books. The class received prize bags with t-shirts, recycled-content rulers and other fun prizes. They will also receive a tour of the Nasa Ames Exploration Center.
Sunnyvale Teacher & Her Fifth Grade Students
Win Environmental Award! (5/03)
At the State of the City Address on March 4th, Melinda Teves, a teacher at Cumberland Elementary School, and her fifth grade class were chosen to receive the Outstanding Environmental Achievement
Award for their waste reduction and recycling efforts. Ms. Teves and her students were honored by the Mayor, City Council members, and 100+ attendees at the ceremony.
Ms.Teves personally took it upon herself to improve the recycling program at Cumberland, which in the last two years has grown to include:
- 30 crates for in-classroom paper recycling
- 3 cans/bottle recycling carts
- 4 paper recycling carts
- 2 cubic yard cardboard recycling bin
Ms. Teves' students collect paper for recycling from the whole school every Friday. They're also the only class at Cumberland that composts food waste in the classroom.
One innovative way that Ms. Teves' class has sought to meet the challenge of increasing the number of food and beverage containers that are recycled at their school is through a container recycling project that they developed. In this project, the kids divided themselves into 4 groups. Each group adopted a third grade class, and each tried out a different method (classroom presentations, positive/negative feedback, peer pressure and control group) for convincing kids to recycle during lunchtime. The students monitored both the recycling bin and trash can during recess and lunch, researched City of Sunnyvale disposal statistics, and even assessed
the material inside their class trash can. In the next couple of weeks, the class will compile and evaluate their results, and plans to put together a scrapbook of their work.
By educating students, teachers, and school administrators about recycling, Ms. Teves and her class are helping to preserve natural resources and landfill space, reduce air and water pollution and
conserve water and energy. Ms. Teves and her students are a wonderful model for other Sunnyvale teachers and students.
Congratulations!
Environment Matters—An Electronic Newsletter (1/03)
Are you looking for a way to obtain valuable resources for your school? The California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) has much to offer to both traditional and non-formal (for example, outdoor education, science centers, museums, vacation camps, 4-H, and Scouts) schools, including curriculum, professional development workshops for teachers, waste diversion assistance, and grant
opportunities. These and other no-cost resources and services are highlighted quarterly in the electronic newsletter Environment Matters. Past issues of Environment Matters have included articles
titled "High Performance Schools Improve Student Performance," "Turning Entertainment into Education Through Reuse," "Waste Tire Playground Cover Grant Program," and "Want Posters?"
Each newsletter provides information about CIWMB programs and activities that schools and educators can access. You can view Environment Matters on the CIWMB’s School Waste Management Education and Assistance Web site at www.ciwmb.ca.gov/Schools/newsletter. If you would like to receive notification by e-mail when the next issue is available to view, simply subscribe to our ListServ by sending an e-mail message to listmaster@ciwmb.ca.gov with the message "SUBSCRIBE EMATTERS" as the body of the message. If you need further information, contact Tavia Pagan in the CIWMB’s Office of Integrated Environmental
Education at (916) 341-6768 or tpagan@ciwmb.ca.gov.
Giving Those Old Athletic Shoes a Second Life (11/02)
Cherry Chase Elementary School and Manuel F. Vargas Elementary School partnered with the City of Sunnyvale and Metro Sport (21267 Stevens Creek Blvd., Cupertino) to collect athletic shoes for recycling at their annual school walk-a-thons.
The 180 shoes that were collected by Vargas and Cherry Chase will be recycled through Nike's Reuse-a-Shoe Program. Material from the collected shoes will be separately ground up and made into new products. The rubber is made into soccer, football and baseball fields and weight room flooring. The foam is made into basketball courts, tennis courts and playground surfacing tiles. The fabric becomes the padding under hardwood basketball floors. Congratulations on a great job diverting those shoes for recycling!*
If you would like to have a shoe recycling event at your school, call (408) 730-7484 for more information.
*Special thanks to Mervat Hogue (Cherry Chase) and Linda Romano (Vargas) for helping to coordinate the recycling services at the walk-a-thons. |