Boston Schools Claim Green Prizes

Mass DEP 2015 Green Team Awards

Students from 64 schools across Massachusetts have received special recognition for their outstanding environmental actions as members of the “Green Team,” a statewide environmental education program promoted by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) and Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP).

The Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers in Boston participated in the Boston Public School Recycling Program to recycle paper trays and milk cartons in spring, 2015, recycling more every year.  Students collected reusable jeans to donate to a shelter in Boston and recycled soda cans and bottles to fund-raise for the school.  “I believe that the whole school benefited from our recycling program,” noted long-time Green Team member Angela Cappucci. “It is getting bigger and better with time.”

At Boston Latin Academy, “The kids were astounded by how much trash they personally created every day, and worked on sorting through recycling to make sure they recycled more, properly,” noted teacher Kara Stafford.  Students also conducted several energy conservation activities. “They were great jumping off points that reinforced the concepts from the year, and the kids liked being active – physically doing something – in order to gather data,” Ms. Stafford said.

Statewide, nearly 5,000 students pledged to reduce, reuse, recycle; walk, bike, carpool or take public transportation; and conserve energy and water to help protect the environment. Many of the students encouraged their parents to take an idling-reduction pledge and turn off car engines while parked or waiting. Other students tracked the trash generated in their home for one month, subtracting the amount of trash their family eliminated via recycling.  In addition, activities included improving school recycling or composting programs, conserving energy at school, visiting recycling facilities, meeting with municipal officials, planting school gardens, seeking alternatives to Styrofoam lunch trays, building water-powered fuel cell kit cars, and creating signs, posters, videos and web pages to raise environmental awareness in their school community.

To learn more or to participate in The Green Team program next school year, teachers may sign up online at: www.thegreenteam.org. A synopsis of Green Team Prize winners is listed below, and a more detailed list can be found in the attached document here: GT-2015