Berkshire Schools Receive Green Team Awards
- Great Barrington: Brookside Intensive Treatment Unit
- Lee: Lee Elementary School
- Williamstown: Pine Cobble School
- Cheshire: Youth Center Inc.
Students took part in a range of activities, including:
- Expanding school recycling programs
- Collecting textiles for donation and recycling
- Starting a compost pile using organic waste from the school cafeteria and using the compost to grow vegetables in their school garden
- Rescuing unused or unwanted food and distributing to local food banks
- Planting trees and native wildflowers to attract pollinators and songbirds
- Repurposing and reusing materials to make “new” items
- Implementing Zero Waste Days at school
- Conducting science experiments to observe how carbon dioxide affects the atmosphere
- Promoting water conservation
- Making their school drop-off and pickup locations "Idle-Free Zones"
- Increasing energy efficiency in their schools and communities
- Reducing their carbon footprint at school and at home
These environmentally focused activities incorporated classroom disciplines from the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), as well as reading, writing, art, and other non-classroom, interrelated projects.
Participating classes entered in a drawing for prizes and 63 classes received prizes for their efforts. One school won the grand prize and four schools were recognized for going "above and beyond" with their efforts to promote sustainability and responsible leadership in their communities. Five schools will receive gift cards that can be used for a party to celebrate their hard work and dedication or for materials or equipment that support their Green Team efforts.
