Unified Education Strategy Grants

Belmont-Redwood Shores School District

On this page you will find...

• Grantee Information
• Opportunities and Obstacles
• Diversion Successes
• Lessons Created
• Partnerships
• Program Contacts

Grantee Information

Belmont-Redwood Shores School District is a K-8 public school district serving 2,541 students in six schools on the San Francisco Peninsula. The district was selected to receive a Unified Education Strategy (UES) grant because of the administration’s interest in and commitment to fostering environmental literacy as illustrated in its mission statement: “The mission of environmental education within the Belmont-Redwood Shores School District community is to encourage all students to become environmentally literate and active. The staff, administration, and families believe that students need to value their environment, respect all life forms, understand the basic ecological principles which support our planet, and live an ecologically responsible life-style.”

The district has engaged in many environmentally sustainable practices, including use of native plants in its landscaping to reduce water consumption, use of recycled copy paper, and installation of energy-efficient heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning units in all six schools. The district selected the sixth graders at Ralston Middle School (the only middle school in the district) to begin a comprehensive environmental education program that integrates environmental curriculum with waste reduction/recycling activities.

Opportunities and Obstacles

In 2003, no recycling of any significance occurred on site. In two years, an effective waste management program was initiated, and Ralston students reduced paper waste by 30 percent.

Diversion Successes

• Established a composting project with the sixth-grade cooking class.
• Recycled paper, cans, glass, plastic, and food by the students.
• Established a lunch-time recycling program by the students.
• Adopted a districtwide waste reduction policy and administrative procedures to institutionalize existing and new waste reduction programs.

Lessons Created

The district provided professional development time for sixth-grade teachers to prepare standards-based instructional plans using resource conservation as the context. The team chose to integrate diversion/conservation efforts and curriculum efforts as described below. The campus needs assessment (Adobe PDF, 273 KB) provides information on lesson plans.

• Students learned to plan, design, and complete a campus waste audit.
• History-social science coursework explored consumption and conservation efforts of ancient civilizations.
• Mathematics coursework applied mapping, measurement, and graphing skills by gathering and interpreting data collected during the waste audit.
• English-language arts coursework involved the writing of expository paragraphs on the effects of decomposition of natural and human-made materials on local landfills.

Partnerships

• County of San Mateo
• BFI (Browning Ferris Industries)
• Local recycling center
• Local Boy Scout troop
• Parents

Program Contacts

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Last updated: November 01, 2007