infoCycling, Special Edition on School Waste Diversion

In this issue:

• What's the DEEL?
• CIWMB urges school diversion
• School DEEL
• Managing school landscapes
• Used oil block grant funds
• Environment Matters newsletter
• High performance schools
• Win the Environmentality Challenge

What’s the DEEL with school districts?

Do you have promotional materials for schools and an integrated waste management assistance program ready to go but need help reaching out to your local school districts? Here’s a “DEEL” for you:  Chapter 926, Statutes of 2001 (Torlakson, SB 373) also known as the School Diversion and Environmental Education Law (DEEL).

What’s the purpose of the school “DEEL”? To focus on building and bridging school district waste diversion programs with standards-based instructional strategies.

What are the benefits of local government and school districts working together to implement the school “DEEL”?

• School districts may be the largest single employer in the area and may represent a significant proportion of the waste stream in many jurisdictions.
• School districts offer a largely untapped source of recyclable materials for local jurisdictions to target in their continued effort to meet the 50 percent waste reduction goal.
• School districts may avoid future mandates by voluntarily implementing waste reduction programs.
• The school “DEEL” has grant money available to assist school districts in implementing waste reduction and environmental education programs.

infoCycling is striving to bring information and tools to assist you in developing partnerships with school districts in your jurisdiction. Successful partnerships between local governments and school districts can achieve greater diversion.

CIWMB urges school districts to implement districtwide waste reduction programs

School districts can play a critical role in a city or county’s ability to realize or maintain the 50 percent waste diversion mandate in California law (Public Resources Code 41780).

Although the waste generated from school districts is only about 2 percent of the statewide waste stream (see the Statewide Waste Characterization Study: Results and Final Report, California Integrated Waste Management Board, 1999), within an individual jurisdiction school district waste can represent as much as 10 to 15 percent of the total waste disposed in a jurisdiction.

In the cities of Santee in San Diego County and East Palo Alto in San Mateo County, for example, the local school districts are the largest single employer in the area. Their waste represents a significant proportion of the waste stream. With a waste stream that is mostly recyclable paper (47 percent) and organic materials (32 percent), school districts can help local jurisdictions meet and maintain their 50 percent waste reduction goals.

A one-time teacher in Southern California, Linda Moulton-Patterson, who now chairs the California Integrated Waste Management Board, is a proponent of school district recycling. She encourages school districts to purchase recycled materials.

“Schools generate a wealth of recyclable materials and their procurement systems can target recycled-content products,” Moulton-Patterson said. “Cooperative efforts involving local waste haulers, school districts, and local jurisdictions are creating model school recycling and diversion programs throughout California, and opportunities for school children to learn firsthand the meaning of resource conservation and environmental stewardship.”

Many cities and counties have developed recycling education and technical assistance programs targeting school wastes. However, some still have difficulty “getting in the door” to promote these programs to local school districts and their representatives.

The goal is to institutionalize waste reduction programs in the school business culture, and this requires the full support of school districts.

To facilitate increased coordination and partnerships between jurisdictions and their local school districts, the CIWMB’s Local assistance staff has developed a collection of Web-based resources that can be used in designing districtwide waste reduction programs, including:

• Information on the environmental, economic, and educational benefits of implementing districtwide waste reduction programs.
• Results of the CIWMB’s school district diversion project.
• School waste composition information.
• Specific waste reduction strategies for each department within a school district.
• Results from the CIWMB’s school district waste reduction survey.
• Model programs.
• Information on school waste reduction programs in other states.

These resources and others can be found in the CIWMB’s Schools Web site. They should provide everything needed to assist your local school district in developing and implementing districtwide waste reduction programs, through school board policy and administrative procedures.

By implementing waste reduction programs, many school districts have improved their economic and environmental performance, providing models for other school districts to follow. Some of these model programs are listed in the Schools Web site. 

To provide details about your school’s programs, please contact Terri Gray at (916) 341-6252 or tgray@ciwmb.ca.gov.

Other assistance efforts will include a number of regional training workshops during 2003. These will focus on the development of districtwide waste reduction programs and bring jurisdictions, school districts, and service providers together to discuss successful programs and facilitate future partnerships.

Additional resources, providing the most up-to-date information, “frequently asked questions,” and other tools will be available in the near future on the Schools Web site. For more information on available publications, or to request assistance in setting up a districtwide waste reduction program, please contact the Local assistance staff at (916) 341-6199.

School DEEL for school districts

SB 373, now referred to as the School Diversion and Environmental Education Law (School DEEL), contains new responsibilities as well as a few familiar concepts that the CIWMB has been promoting for quite a while. These include providing assistance, tools, and training to local government representatives, educators, and other interested parties.

The highlights of the School DEEL include:

Establishment of an Environmental Ambassador Pilot Program (EAPP)

The EAPP is designed to support and expand sustainable resource conservation programs that combine environment-based educational strategies with facility resource management practices. Once documented, these programs will become models for replication by other districts.

The CIWMB will select approximately five school districts with existing integrated educational and resource conservation programs. These pilot projects will require a two-year partnership with the CIWMB. The CIWMB will select the pilot school districts based on existing data, telephone interviews, and site visits.

• Activities to be conducted as part of the program will include:
• Professional development and training for each district’s project team.
• Site visits by evaluators of the pilot program.
• Mentoring other districts by the pilot district.
• Utilization of student assessment procedures.
• Tracking and evaluation of each district’s resource conservation efforts.

The EAPP will be in effect from January 2003 through January 2005. The results of the pilot programs will be included in a report to the legislature in June 2005.

Development of a Unified Education Strategy (UES) grant program

The principal goals of the UES, as described in the legislation, include:

1. Coordinate instructional resources and strategies for providing active pupil participation with on-site conservation efforts.
2. Promote service-learning opportunities between schools and local communities.
3. Assess the impact to participating pupils of the UES on student achievement and resource conservation.

A competitive grant program is being developed; the CIWMB will announce the grant program in December 2002. The grants are based on a two-cycle funding allocation.

Cycle one is for the districts to audit campus resources (recyclables, water, and energy) and develop resource conservation implementation plans based on the district’s audit findings. Grant applications will be due in February 2003 for cycle one, with the CIWMB awarding grants in May 2003.

Cycle two funding in May 2004 will help the districts to implement their plans. The dollar amount per district is up to $27,000 in cycle one and up to $38,000 in cycle two.

To help grant applicants better prepare their grant applications, the CIWMB will provide grant-writing workshops in January 2003. Details of the workshops will be available on the CIWMB’s Web site in December 2002.

For each program, the CIWMB encourages and can help facilitate partnerships between school districts, local jurisdictions, and other service providers.

For information about how your district can participate in the competitive UES grants, contact your Local assistance staff county contact.

Creation of environmentally preferable products and recycled-content materials database

As required by legislation, the Division of State Architect (DSA), in consultation with the CIWMB, shall develop and maintain on its Web site a database of environmentally preferable products and recycled-content materials that may be used in the construction and modernization of school facilities.

By complying with this mandate, the DSA will also be fulfilling some of the requirements of the Governor’s Executive Order D-16-00. These include items implemented in the action plan, Building Better Buildings: A Blueprint for Sustainable State Facilities, as it relates to school construction.

To complete this project, the DSA will be using the request for proposal (RFP) process. DSA anticipates awarding the contract in December 2002.

Upon completion, the environmentally preferable products and recycled-content materials database will be available to school districts and county offices of education as they select sustainable building materials to construct and modernize public school facilities.

For more information about this project, contact Panama Bartholomy at (916) 445-4229 or panama.bartholomy@dgs.ca.gov.

Offering technical assistance, tools, and training

The School DEEL requires the CIWMB to develop Web-based waste reduction models and tools for schools, school districts, offices, and local agencies to implement waste reduction programs.

The CIWMB school district waste reduction tools were published in April 2002. (In this issue, refer to the article titled “CIWMB urges school districts to implement district-wide waste reduction programs” for more information on resources and tools.)

The School DEEL legislation includes reporting elements. The School DEEL requires the CIWMB to evaluate the implementation of school waste reduction plans in the State’s schools by January 1, 2004.

If the CIWMB determines that less than 75 percent of schools have implemented waste reduction and recycling programs, the CIWMB is required to recommend legislative changes that will require schools to implement waste reduction and recycling programs.

Additionally, the School DEEL requires that the CIWMB report to the legislature on the results and progress of the EAPP and UES programs by June 2005.

For current information on the School DEEL Implementation Plan, see the CIWMB’s Web site or contact the Office of Integrated Environmental Education at (916) 341-6769. You can also obtain a complete copy of the plan.

Managing school landscapes to save money and protect the environment

Schools often have large landscaped areas. “Resource-efficient” landscape management practices can help school districts reduce maintenance costs and protect the environment. These practices can also benefit local governments, State agencies and large State facilities, colleges, and others.

The following types of practices can reduce the generation of green waste, decrease the need for water, fertilizer, pesticides, and lower maintenance costs.

Efficient irrigation—Use water-efficient irrigation systems that deliver a precise volume of water to plant root zones, consequently reducing rapid plant growth. Use soil probes to monitor soil moisture before watering. Develop watering schedules based on historical or actual evapotranspiration data. Water runoff containing fertilizers and pesticides can enter storm drains and pollute local creeks and rivers.

Precise fertilization usage—Use precise amounts of fertilizer in a timely manner to reduce growth, diminish the potential for water pollution, and promote healthy plants. Use slow-release or organic-based fertilizers—based on nutrient needs of plants as verified by soil testing—to reduce growth spurts and decrease the need for pruning and mowing.

Grasscycling—Use mulching mowers (see photo below) that leave grass clippings on the lawn to release valuable nutrients back into the soil. Moderate growth through proper turf management produces short clippings that will not cover the grass surface. This reduces water and fertilizer usage and green waste generation as well as maintenance costs.

Selective pruning—Use natural pruning techniques at the proper season to promote healthier plants, reduce “suckering,” and stabilize growth. Excessive and haphazard pruning of shrubs and trees is wasteful and unhealthy. Pruning should be limited to maintain natural growth patterns. Hedging, topping, and shearing of landscape plants into formal shapes will only encourage excessive new growth.

Build healthy soil—Use organic matter additions (such as compost) to transform poor soils into a fertile growth medium that supports healthy plant growth while reducing water, fertilizer, and pesticide requirements.

Mulch—Use shredded or chipped plant materials with an appropriately high wood content as a mulch cover over the soil in planting beds and other bare areas in the landscape. Mulch insulates plant roots, reduces weeds, minimizes water loss, and controls erosion and dust problems.

Environmentally beneficial design—Use more water-efficient plants to reduce turf areas, establish new landscape plantings, reduce green waste, conserve water, and lower maintenance costs. Note: Retrofit outdated irrigation systems and amend depleted soils to save water and promote healthy plant growth.

For more information on resource-efficient landscape management practices, go to the CIWMB’s Organics Web page. You can also contact Ken Decio in the CIWMB’s Organics and Resource Efficiency branch at (916) 341-6586 or kdecio@ciwmb.ca.gov.

Used oil block grant funds—reimbursement for substitute teachers!

Trained teachers can help local governments promote recycling, but training takes time away from the classroom.

To help meet this challenge, the CIWMB’s Used Oil Recycling Program and the Office of Integrated Environmental Education (OIEE) have developed a policy of allowing full-time teachers to be trained in environmental education curricula by using used oil block grant funds to reimburse school districts for substitute teachers.

Used oil block grant funds can be used to pay for substitute teachers while full-time teachers attend either Closing the Loop (CTL) or Earth Resources—A Case Study: Oil (ER) workshops. The CIWMB includes this use of funds for CTL and ER workshops in the Procedures and Requirements for the Eighth Cycle Block Grants, which was published in September 2002.

In some circumstances, used oil block grant funds can be used to pay for substitute teachers when full-time teachers are trained on storm drain pollution prevention training.

Substitute teacher reimbursement protocol

The CIWMB developed a protocol regarding reimbursement for substitute teachers. To take advantage of this program, school district staff can let OIEE staff know they are interested in using block grant funds to pay for substitute teachers.

The CIWMB’s OIEE and Used Oil Program staff will coordinate with the local government used oil block grant grantee to determine if the grantee has funds available for reimbursing substitute teachers. OIEE staff will facilitate a contact between the grantee and school district staff.

Local government staff is welcome to contact the schools directly and encourage them to set up a workshop with OIEE. Depending on the workshop agenda and the level of detail, workshops may be a half day or all day.

Reimbursement policy restrictions

Used oil block grant funds shall not be used to pay for the following:

• Project Learning Tree’s Municipal Solid Waste curriculum or for vermicomposting workshops; however, vermicomposting may be included as part of a CTL workshop.

• Workshops on curricula included in the Compendium for Integrated Waste Management and Used Oil; funds can only be used for Closing the Loop and Earth Resources curricula.  

• Customization of curriculum to be county-specific. A county may choose to customize the curriculum, but the county must use its own funds. OIEE will only conduct workshops for CTL and ER in their original form.

• Development of new curriculum.

Storm drain pollution prevention education

Used Oil Recycling Program staff will determine whether a grantee meets conditions that allow storm drain pollution prevention education. A grantee must:

• Meet all of the core elements (collection, publicity and education, and evaluation) of the Used Oil Recycling Program.
• Have an approved Phase 2 plan from your regional water quality control board.

If you have questions regarding reimbursement of substitute teachers and using used oil block grant funds, contact Don Peri in the CIWMB’s Office of Integrated Environmental Education at (916) 341-6761 or dperi@ciwmb.ca.gov.

Environment Matters—An electronic newsletter

Are you a local government representative looking for a way to assist local schools in obtaining valuable resources?

The 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.

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.

Collaborative for High Performance Schools

This is a unique period in California history. According to the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS, often referred to as "chips"), “The state, already educating one out of every eight students in America, has seen historical enrollment rates four times higher than national averages.

“Hundreds of schools a year are being built to house over 100,000 new students moving into the system and to expand capacity for class-size reduction programs. The current infrastructure is aging and over 30 percent of existing facilities need a major renovation. At the same time, California schools are spending nearly $450 million on energy, more than the combined cost of supplies and books, in a time of rising concern over energy supplies and tight school budgets.”

These figures illustrate an enormous opportunity for our state's school districts to build the next generation of schools: facilities that improve the learning environment while saving energy, resources, and money.

The CIWMB is one member of a diverse group of stakeholders including public utilities; other State government entities such as the California Department of Education, Office of Public School Construction, Division of the State Architect, California Air Resources Board, and the California Energy Commission; and nonprofit organizations that are working together to achieve these goals and improve the quality of education in California.

High-performance schools utilize a whole-building integrated design strategy that incorporates the best of today's ideas and technologies. From the beginning of the design process, each of the following building elements (windows, walls, building materials, air conditioning, landscaping, and other materials) is considered part of an integrated system of interacting components.

For example, choices in one area often affect other building systems. Integrated design leverages these interactions to maximize the overall building performance.

CHPS aims to increase the energy efficiency of public schools in California by marketing information, service, and incentive programs directed at school districts and designers. The goals of CHPS are to:

• Increase the performance of California students with better-designed and healthier facilities.
• Raise the level of awareness in California districts regarding the impact and advantages of high-performance school design.
• Provide design professionals with technical resources to facilitate high-performance design.
• Increase the energy, material, and water efficiency of California schools.
• Reduce peak electric loads.
• Improve indoor environmental quality conditions in classrooms (daylighting, acoustics, and indoor air quality).
• In order to meet these goals, CHPS is developing a variety of products and services, which are listed below. Local governments and other organizations can use these products and services and promote them within their school districts. Additionally, many of these products and tools can be useful to other institutions, including State agencies, large State facilities, and colleges.

Eligibility criteria—The CHPS Criteria is a design guideline that outlines attributes of a high-performance school through a series of required prerequisites and voluntary performance standards. This self-certification system provides a convenient means of identifying and requesting a high-performance school, while remaining flexible to give districts and designers the freedom to create a facility that fits their budget, timeline, and educational goals.

Best Practices Manual—The four-volume manual is set to become a standard reference for high-performance school design in California. The Best Practices Manual and CD-Rom are available at www.chps.net.

• The first volume is directed to school district decision-makers and includes information on the advantages, process, and budgeting issues associated with designing high-performance schools.

• The second volume is a set of technical design guidelines written for designers and project managers. This volume contains information on each building system and provides a variety of detailed design recommendations specific to general conditions, site planning, interior surfaces and furnishings, energy, and indoor environmental quality. The second volume is intended to be a flexible and complete resource for architects and engineers by including a discussion of application, cost-effectiveness, maintenance, commissioning, and integrated design issues.

• The third volume is the CHPS self-certification system discussed in the “Eligibility criteria” section above.

• A fourth volume is currently under development and will contain operations and maintenance guidelines to help schools continue to reap the benefits of high-performance design throughout the life of the facility.

Upcoming events—Districts, designers, and other interested parties can learn more about high-performance schools at any one of the upcoming educational workshops.

Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) Workshop
Monday, 11/25
9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
PG&E's Pacific Energy Center
2125 Canoas Garden Avenue, Suite 100
San Jose, CA 95125-2124
Register by calling (415) 973-7268

Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) Workshop
Tuesday, 11/26
9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
PG & E's Pacific Energy Center
851 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA 
Register by calling (415) 973-7268

Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) Workshop
Tuesday, 12/03
Ag Tac Center
Tulare, CA
Time: To be announced
Contact (877) 642-CHPS for more information

Financial programs—CHPS stakeholders offer a variety of financial incentives for districts building a high-performance school through new construction or modernization. To access this information go to www.chps.net/overview/overviewPrograms.htm. Additional funding opportunities are listed on the Division of the State Architect Web site at www.dsa.dgs.ca.gov/Sustainability/incentives.htm.

Value-added services—Many of the State agencies and nonprofit organizations currently offer technical services in areas that are commonly out of the district. Services available include design assistance, energy models, and audits.

Demonstration schools—A network of new schools is being built throughout the state. These schools will showcase the value and feasibility of high-performance facilities to school districts and designers.

One demonstration school the CIWMB is sponsoring through the network is the Lorin Griset Elementary School. The CIWMB awarded $250,000 to Santa Ana Unified School District so that Lorin Griset can become the first high-performance demonstration school with a materials showcase. As a result, the project is expected to feature a site waste management plan to divert 75 percent of the construction waste generated from the landfill.

The plan will incorporate many recycled-content products and provide self-certification to the CHPS Criteria. Local governments can use programs to promote construction and demolition waste diversion and sustainable building practices with their school districts.

Portables—The predominance of substandard portable classroom design has motivated several of the CHPS board members to pursue and build designs that have improved indoor air quality, resource efficiency, and energy performance.

One prototype design, funded by Southern California Edison (SCE), is located at SCE’s Customer Technology Application Center in Irwindale, California.

Educational resources—Some teachers are interested in ways to use energy and natural resource conservation issues to support the core curriculum. Educational resources are under development to identify ways to use the high-performance school as a teaching tool.

For more information on the Collaborative for High Performance Schools, to view future events, or to obtain information on the program opportunities listed above, visit the CHPS Web site at www.chps.net/. For information, you can also contact Dana Papke of the CIWMB’s Sustainable Building Section at (916) 341-6496 or dpapke@ciwmb.ca.gov.

Jiminy Cricket’s Environmentality Challenge

Jiminy Cricket’s Environmentality Challenge is a public-private partnership bringing together the Walt Disney Company and the California Environmental Education Interagency Network (CEEIN). CEEIN is a consortium of environmental educators representing California State departments, State boards, commissions of the Department of Education, the California Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Food and Agriculture, and the California Resources Agency.

What is the Environmentality Challenge?

The Environmentality Challenge is open to all California fifth-grade students. Fifth-grade classes choose their level of participation, which range from taking a pledge to targeting a real environmental concern with a plan to address the concern and implement a project.

Environmentality Challenge grand prize winners!

Year 2001–2002 winner

At a special May 2002 ceremony in Anaheim, the Walt Disney Company and CEEIN honored the grand prize-winning class at Disney’s California Adventure. The Los Banos Miano Elementary School’s “Every Wetland Counts,” a community-based environmental project, won the 2001–2002 grand prize. The goal of this fifth-grade class was to educate the community about the harmful effects on nearby wetlands of waste dumped in storm drains.

Teacher Stephanie Sparks led her class in developing a wetlands Web site, stenciling storm drains, and distributing door hangers throughout Los Banos. The class also created a mural with a wetlands theme, presented their project findings before the Los Banos city council, and distributed wetlands information at the Central Valley’s “Wild on Wetlands” weekend event.

Year 2000–2001 winner

Park View Center School of Simi Valley won the 2000–2001 grand prize with a project entitled “Making a Difference: One Piece of Paper at a Time.” Their project focused on reducing the amount of trash the school produces.

Deni Lopez and her fifth-grade class covered a wide range of activities, which included adopting their school’s abandoned worm farm, developing a schoolwide recycling program and paper making factory, educating other schools in their district and county on the importance of recycling, and distributing mini worm farms nationally. Their outreach efforts and the materials they developed have influenced others in the county to implement similar recycling programs in their schools and in their homes.

Local government—Encourage your schools to sign up for the 2002–2003 Environmentality Challenge!

Fifth-grade classes can sign up today for the 2002–2003 Jiminy Cricket’s Environmentality Challenge, either by calling 1-800-290-0299 or by visiting the CEEIN’s Web site at www.jceckids.org. Entry forms are due by November 22, 2002. Class projects are due on March 4, 2003. If you have questions, contact Don Peri at the CIWMB’s Office of Integrated Environmental Education at (916) 341-6761 or dperi@ciwmb.ca.gov for more information.

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Last updated: December 28, 2007