Ellis
Elementary
School
is
a
school
focused
on
sustainability,
and
as
part
of
Earth
Week
initiatives,
students
were
selected
by
their
classroom
teachers
to
form
an
eco-team.
The
students
were
led
by
Heather
Meek,
instructional
technology
coach
and
sustainability
coordinator,
to
plant
vegetables
with
Jeanne
Jabara,
energy
education
coordinator,
for
the
PWCS
Energy
Management
and
Sustainability
Team
(EMAST).
Jabara
talked
to
students
about
composting
and
how
to
reduce
food
waste,
planting
vegetables,
and
the
importance
of
taking
care
of
the
earth.
Students
cleared
raised
flower
beds,
planted
seeds,
and
took
measurements
of
existing
plants
and
watered
them.As sustainability coordinator, Meek helps Ellis Elementary participate in the EMAST School Energy Challenge. Schools that participate in the challenge focus on promoting pathways to sustainability to earn points towards a rebate from EMAST.
One way Ellis has promoted sustainability at their school is by signing up with the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and devising an energy action plan for the school. Ellis planned a waste audit to analyze their trash at school and see where they could increase their efforts to reduce trash and recycle. To conduct the waste audit, custodial staff held some of the trash that could be sorted that was generated in a school day. Unsortable trash that needed to be disposed of was weighed before being taken to the dumpster. Students set up tarps in the gymnasium and sorted the trash into different piles of what could have been recycled, such as paper, cardboard, and plastic. The NWF awarded Ellis the bronze award for their efforts to reduce their waste.
Currently, Ellis has plans to conduct an energy audit by the end of the school year in order to obtain the NWF's silver award. Jabara will provide a checklist and visit the school to help students conduct the energy audit. Meek shared that students will focus on answering questions such as, "How many rooms do we walk into that are not being used but the light switch is on? What kind of energy do we use here at Ellis? How can we use energy more efficiently?" Students will help brainstorm ideas of ways to improve energy consumption. Meek will then submit their action plan to the NWF for consideration for the silver award.
In addition to their current sustainability initiatives, Ellis was also selected by Jabara to start a composting project in the 2021-22 school year