1999 Trash Cutter Awards Program Case Studies

Santa Cruz County: Best Schools Program

• Program Description
• Program Summary
• Costs
• Benefits
• Contact

Program Description

The Public Schools Resource Conservation Program was created in 1997 through a cooperative effort of local government, local schools, and community nonprofit organizations. The County Office of Education administers the program and works with each school district to make sure the program achievements are recognized and cost savings from reduced disposal charges are properly acknowledged and channeled back to the individual schools.

Program Summary

Under the guidance of the Santa Cruz County Integrated Waste Management Local Task Force, the County of Santa Cruz joined with all the incorporated cities in the county: Capitola, Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley and Watsonville, to solicit a proposal for a comprehensive schools program that would combine classroom teaching with hands-on recycling. In response, the Santa Cruz County Officer of Education (COE) joined with the Life Lab Science Program (LLSP) and Ecology Action of Santa Cruz County (EASC) to propose the three part Public Schools Resource Conservation Program (PSRCP). This program offers: (1) classroom teaching focusing on solid waste issues integrated with biological science and nutrition, (2) on-site, hands-on recycling, composting and waste reduction activities, and (3) community outreach.

The long term goal of the PSRCP is to have a presence in all 52 public schools in the County, including elementary, middle and high schools. The program started with five elementary schools, doubled to 10 the second year and for the third year expanded to include two high schools and a middle school.

The County Office of Education administers the program and works with each school district to make sure that the program achievements are recognized and the cost savings from reduced disposal charges, resulting from waste diversion activities of the PSRCP, are properly acknowledged and channeled back to the individual schools. The COE also promotes the program at large and obtains state funding where possible.

The most important aspect of the program is the blending of classroom teaching and hands-on waste reduction activities at the school. When the program is first introduced at a school, Ecology Action conducts a comprehensive waste audit to establish a baseline database for existing waste reduction and disposal activities. Each year a waste reduction goal is set for each school and an end-of-the-year audit provides an indicator of the progress that year. In the first year there was a 35 percent reduction in disposal quantities for the five schools (146 tons). The second year saw a 23 percent reduction for the second batch of five schools (145 tons). Projected over all 52 schools, this could total over 1,500 tons per year. Combined savings in avoided disposal costs for the 10 schools totaled some $20,000 for the two years! Ecology Action provides on-going technical assistance to the schools during the year to establish and maintain the recycling and waste reduction activities.

These waste diversion activities include classroom and administrative office recycling of fibers and containers, composting and waste reduction. The composting operations make use of the Life Lab Garden composting system which has received national recognition. In addition, programs to compost lunch food waste will be established this year using worm bins. Last year, "litter-less lunches" were held to demonstrate the benefits and ease of reusable food containers. The Thermos Corporation assisted this project with a donation of containers.

Another successful program attribute, one which avoided potential barriers of hesitancy in participating or commitment, was the use of teacher compacts. The COE sought out highly motivated teachers and asked them to agree to both conduct the program and commit to certain leadership actions in support of the program. The response has been outstanding.

Community outreach is an outgrowth of the leadership role. Two teacher/leaders are recruited from each school to act as recycling coordinators for the students' activities to work with Life Lab Garden experts to build and maintain their own gardens. After participating in a specially designed curriculum that incorporates environmental education and nutrition education into mainstream education, students become leaders in the homes and communities when they host recycling and composting fairs at the Life Lab Gardens. One of the best methods for students to learn is to have them share what they know. These community events are organized by the teacher/leaders and are held to promote awareness within and beyond the schools and out into the community.

Costs

The Santa Cruz County Integrated Waste Management Local Task Force, as the inter-agency solid waste forum for the county, oversees for the project through periodic reviews and annual budget development. The program operates on an annual budget under $150,000 and is funded through a combination of local government contracts, state grants, and private sector donations. Each city and the county contribute a percentage of the total cost, in proportion to its population, and the primary waste hauler in the county, Waste Management of Santa Cruz County contributes both a lump sum dollar amount plus time and materials to supply and service the on-site recycling collection system.

Benefits

One unique feature of this program is teacher training and professional development. Each year Life Lab Science Program (LLSP) conducts 3-day intensive teacher training institute using curricula LLSP has developed and tailored to the specifics of Santa Cruz County. Examples in the teaching lesson are based on names, places, and events that are local and easily recognizable by the students, contributing to a sense of place and biosystem. The curricula workshop also include teacher input to updating and crafting the curriculum to be as locally relevant as possible. During the year, LLSP also conducts special topic seminars and classroom implementation workshops. The PSRCP provides funding for teacher release time to attend the training and arranges for continuing education credit.

For Further Information Contact:

County of Santa Cruz
701 Ocean Street, Room 410
Santa Cruz, CA  95060
(831) 454-2160

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