More Capris

We have mailed off another box of Capri Suns. It weighed almost 20 pounds. I wonder what they will become in their next life. At least they won't be sitting at the landfill rotting. I want to thank everyone for getting them ready to mail to Terracycle. Your dedication is heartwarming because I know it will benefit future generations...friends, family, and people we don't even know. But don't forget, our efforts to be more sustainable also help the animals...like the dwindling number of polar bears. What else have you done recently to help Mother Earth?

Conservation Scouts

Have you heard? We have 1st Grade Conservation Scouts this year monitoring our use of recycle bins and trash cans. They go with the custodians to each classroom and staff desk to make sure that only trash is in the trash can and only recyclables are in the blue recycle bins. They really have helped alot of people to realize mistakes that were being made. So far Mrs. Sass's Kindergarten class has had their waste sorted correctly on every check. Mrs. Haws and Mrs. Cikatco have always been correct, too. Remeber to think before you throw it away. Keep on sorting.

Drink Pouches

Thanks to Eliza and Meighan for helping to empty, and straighten up the drink pouches from lunch. We boxed up 15.5 pounds of empty pouches to send to Terracycle. That means that they will become something useful instead of going to the dump. The girls were very helpful, but it was interesting to listen to them talk about the messy bag of pouches. Some people didn't empty the pouches completely, didn't remove their straws, and didn't flatten the pouches. If these things are done, it makes it much easier to pack the box. Please help us out by emptying, flattening, and removing the straw when you drink from a juice pouch. Thanks for your continued support.

New Composter

We want to thank Mrs. Sawyer for donating our new composter. We put it next to the garden close to the primary hall so that it would be convenient to the garden and easy for us to use. We checked out the vegetables growing in the garden...cabbage and brussel sprouts. Then we added the pumpkins that had begun to rot from our pumpkin exploration in October as our "green" ingredient. We added some shredded paper as our "brown" ingredient. It will make for some great soil in the spring. And we get to watch it break down through the winter. I wonder if we will get any worms moving in to help out in the process. What do you think? Do you have a composter or a compost pile at your house?

Recycling in the Past

We studed the American Patriotic Symbols this past week in first grade. We discovered that the original Liberty Bell was recycled when it cracked the first time it was rung. It was too much to send it back to England for repair, so it was melted down here in America and reformed. Because it then sounded strange it was melted down again and reformed to become the bell that we all know. I bring this up because we need to think everyday about how we can work to reduce our waste by recycling and reusing things in stead of throwing them away. CELEBRATE with us National Recycling Day Tuesday, November 15th, by wearing your green. I'll be looking for you.

Back at the Keyboard

Sorry it has been so long. Know that it is not due to a lack of conservation going on here at Creeds ES. We have enjoyed another fabulous school-wide Earth Day celebration. We had pumpkin sprouts growing in the vermicomposter. Some staff members took an outdoors classroom habitat class over the summer so we could embed learning about nature in our outdoor classroom better this year. Terracycle collections did well. One of our parents was inspired to make jewelry from empty gift cards as a way of reusing the card materials instead of letting them rot at the dump. The Conservation Chiefs decided that we needed recycle bins at our baseball fields so people would have a place to put empty bottles and cans. Sweet potatoes were harvested in the 1st grade garden in September during our Day of Caring. Two more rainbarrels were installed. Preschool PowWow hosted another amazing conservation evening where children learned about recycling, reusing, reducing, and composting. Tadpoles were rescued when the Frog Bog went dry in the spring and the students had the opportunity to watch the lifecycle of real frogs in the classroom before releasing them to a wetter habitat. The path through the Frog Bog area was improved by a boy scout project and the placement of stump seating thanks to Mr. Andy and the hurricane that blew over a large tree. There is bench seating by the pier enough for an entire class. We have been busy, but I will try to stay on top of it again. I hope you too have been diligent about making conservation efforts. Let us know what YOU have been doing.

Another Terracycle Shipment

We sent in 42 pounds to Terracycle. That's Drink pouches, gluesticks, and zipper bags that won't be found at the landfill. Give yourselves a pat on the back for collecting so diligently. Keep sending in your collectible waste items. Terracycle will put them to good use and pay us for collecting them. We have all ready recieved a check for $192 for our efforts. I cannot wait to see what the Conservation Chiefs decide to purchase with the earnings. Oh, if you haven't been out to the Frog Bog recently, stop by and check it out. 1st Grade toured it last week, identifying living and non-living things and hunting for evidence of seeds. There may not be a lot of new growth yet, but it is still worth the visit.