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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 10192004 - PR1 TO: ° BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Contra FROM: DENNIS M. BARRY, AICP Costa COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR County DATE: OCTOBER '19, 2004 SUBJECT: PRESENTATION OF CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION TO LAS JUNTAS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WHO HAS COMPLETED THE ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION PROGRAM FOR SCHOOLS SPECIFIC REQUEST (S) OR RECOMMENDATION (S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATIONS PRESENTATION of a `Certificate of Completion'and a`Summary ofActions'to Las Juntas Elementary School for successfully completing the County's Environmental Action Program for Schools. FISCAL IMPACT None. BACKGROUND/REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS The California Integrated Waste Management Act(also known as AB939)requires that all cities and counties divert 50% of materials from landfills. The Community Development Department develops and implements programs to achieve waste diversion goals and one such program is the new Environmental Action Program for Schools (SAPS). SAPS is a tool to help faculty and students take proactive steps to help the environment and provide recognition for their efforts. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: x YES SIGNATURE RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD MMITTEE APPROVE OTHER SIGNATURE(S): ACTION OF BOARD ON ,"., X:s E t f. 4 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED ? OTHER T f VOTE OF SUPERVISORS ° I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN UNANIMOUS (ABSENT ) AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE AYES: NOES: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE ABSENT: ABSTAIN: SHOWN. ATTESTED JOHN SWEETEN, CLERK OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR l BY � .,DEPUTY Contact: Lorna Thomson, CDD (925/335-1231) cc: Community Development Department (CDD) G:\Conservation\Lorna\SAPS\BOARD ORDER EAPS Completion 2004-2004 bdm.doc Presentation of SAPS Certificate of Completion October 19, 2004 Page 2 BACKGROUNDIREASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS (continued) EAPS strives to encourage schools as a whole, including students, teachers and staff to partake in four separate environmentally beneficial activities. The program offers eight 'Action Areas' from which schools can choose from: Recycle, Letter Campaign, Buy Recycled, Environmental Curriculum, Less Toxic, Become a Collection $ite (fund raiser), Waste Prevention and School Composting. Upon completing activities in four of the eight Action Areas in one year and submitting an approved certification report, schools earn the title of becoming a certified Environmental Action School. The EAPS program `kit' is available to schools and describes in detail how a school can complete each of these Action Areas and has advice on how to form a task group, perform waste assessments and much more. This kit is available on the web at http://www.c.cerecycle.orgleaps. A brief overview of the EAPS kit was mailed to schools in the unincorporated areas at the beginning of the school year and is attached for your review(SEE ATTACHEMENT A). A sample Certificate of Completion and Summary of Actions is included. Both of these items have been framed for presentation to Las Juntas Elementary School. Las Juntas Elementary, in the unincorporated Martinez area, is distinguished to be the first school to complete EAPS by accomplishing the following four Action Areas: Buy Recycled, Recycle, Become a Collection $ite (fund raiser) and Environmental Curriculum. For their commitment to conserving our natural resources and their completion of the Environmental Action Program for Schools, we would like to recognize and honor Las Juntas Elementary for their achievement in becoming certified as an Environmental Action School. Las Juntas Elementary has taken a leadership role in improving the environment while assisting the County in achieving our waste diversion goals. I'll ATTACHMENT A School Composting Fall of 2003 - - The Environmental Action 3 ice► Program for Schools tr� Las Juntas Elementary School Ms. Susan Mirkovich, Principal The Environmental Action Program for Schools (SAPS) is a free program for schools located in the unincorporated areas of Contra Costa County and y } the City of Oakley. This program is designed to help school children of all 0 ages (K -12) become more aware of the environment through actions and activities that take place at school. EAPS has eight action areas (shown in color around this page) to choose from each year. The activities are geared towards schools and can be easily accomplished. Upon completing activities in four of the eight action areas in one year and submitting an approved certification report, schools ■ earn the prestigious title of becoming a certified ENVIRONMENTAL Nook ACTION SCHOOL. If you would like to learn more about the program, feel free to contact meat the phone number or email address below. If you would like to view or print I the EAPS Kit (Booklet and In-Pocket Materials) on-line, it is available at http://www.cccrecycle.orgleaps. Uj Participation in this program can help children (and school staff) change the world in which they live for the better, now, and for a lifetime. Your SAPS Coordinator, :0111111 Loma Thomson 0�t � 525-335=1231 lthom Ccd.cccounty.us Contra Costa County Community Development Department 551 Pine Street,4th door—North Wing, Martinez, CA 94553 Less Toxmic waste Prevention 1" PrOVA for Schools The Environmental Action Program for Schools (EAPS) is a tool to help schools take actions that will help the environment. Most children and young people want to help preserve the environment and are often eager to make a difference. By participating in this program, they can.To participate, individual schools, including students, teachers and staff, undertake activities that fall in four of the below Action Areas. The activities are designed to help instill new environmentally beneficial behaviors in students and all involved. Schools are certified as an`Environmental Action School'when they have completed activities that can help the environment in at least four of the Action Areas below. Schools choose activites from four of the eight activities Action Areas below; SAPS ACTION AREAS: ✓ Recycle ✓ Less Toxic Letter Campaign ✓ Become a Collection Site (fund raiser) • Buy Recycled ✓ Waste Prevention • Environmental Curriculum ✓ School Composting Schools can also request to design their own Action Area as a substitute for one or more of the above IS IT A LOT OF WORK? EAPS is designed to accommodate almost any level of effort. Your school's Actions can be extremely simple or very comprehensive and challenging, depending on how much time and energy can be devoted. Some simple and'challenging sample programs are outlined below. PROGRAM BASICS: The SAPS kit contains information on how to accomplish each of the eight Action Areas. It also contains detailed information on how to complete the suggested program steps. You may choose to follow kit instructions precisely, or you may choose to not follow them at all and simply complete the program in your own manner. However, to become a Certified Environmental Action School, you must complete four environmental activities and submit a completed Certification Report, which is ap- proved. PROGRAM STEPS - all are optional except those noted: • Announce EAPS to all school personnel • Assemble an EAPS committee or `{green Team' • Find'out how much trash your school is throwing away • Choose four Action Areas • Make plans on how to complete your four Action Areas • Announce EAPS to students • Hold'a kickoff event • Complete four Action Areas (not optional) • Sena in completed Certification Report (not optional) • Receive and display mounted Certificate of Completion and mounted Summary of Actions EXAMPLE OF A SIMPLE PROGRAM= • BUY RECYCLED: Switch to recycled content paper cups, plates and napkins for class parties • LESS TOXIC: Wipe up ants with soapy water instead of spraying them with insecticide first • SCHOOL COMPOSTING: Use chicken wire to make a composting hoop and fill according to composting directions • WASTE PREVENTION:Allow homework written on the back of used paper and set up swap area for used school supplies EXAMPLE OF A CHALLENGING PROGRAM: • KICK OFF EVENT: Hire a school assembly group with a recycling theme to introduce the EAPS program, and/or allow some student volunteers to perform a skit about the program in which they act out the four actions your Green Team has selected • RECYCLE: Begin recycling cardboard and food cans from the school kitchen • BECOME A COLLECTION SITE: Become a drop-off/collection site for California Redemption Value (CRV) containers including aluminum, plastic and glass ENVIRONMENTAL CURRICULUM: Do a four-week curriculum for the whole school • LETTER CAMPAIGN: Conduct a school-wide letter campaign to manufacturers • HAVE A PARTY: Have a big Earth Day party commemorating hardest workers and raffle off recycled content sports equipment you bought with some of the CRV proceeds Regardless of how you achieve Certification, make sure the students know what is being done and why. Involve them at every opportunity. The more involved the students are, the more they will get from the experience. Changes in habits often become second nature with the passage of time. One of the goals of the program is to help facilitate and instill new and environmentally beneficial habits. AFTER COMPLETION: Each school, upon completion, will receive a Certificate of Completion mounted for display. Along with the certifi- cate,your school's specific actions will be written up in summary form.This is called the Summary of Actions, and it too will be mounted for display for all to read and admire. Also, a booklet containing all other area certified schools' Summaries of Actions will be sent out to all certified schools. This is so other schools can see what you have accomplished and your school will know what other schools have accomplished. This summary booklet can serve as a great source of ideas and inspiration, and also, may spur a little bit of healthy, innocuous, competitiveness where the environment comes out the winner. RECERTIFY NEXT YEAR: Schools are certified for one-year periods. After one year, your school will need to complete four more activities to be re-certified. In this manner, being an Environmental Action School is an ongoing process of improvement. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BECOME AN ENV'IRONItIIIENTAL.ACTION SCI-TOOL? • It means your school is committed to a process of improvement. • An Environmental Action School has taken ownership of its responsibility to the environment and has cho- sen to act. • A school that participates in this type of program may experience higher school morale and school spirit. • A closer camaraderie among students and staff could be cultivated because working together for a good cause, as we all know, makes people feel good about themselves and each other. Some activities in the program could create fond memories that may last for years to come. • A school that is certified should take pride in their accomplishment. Perhaps one of the best outcomes of this program may be that kids (and adults) loam environmentally friendly habits. Such habits are needed; especially in children, so they can grow up with these habits ingrained in their behavior and carry them throughout their lives. Everyone benefits when our environment benefits. Our children are the future, and they deserve a clean and plentiful planet. �t i u A ar9;S8M *IXOJLSSOI d Lm � m 0ftft E o o IE CL i 4 Ct p or • " " co v mom ui Supsodwo:) l ffq@gQe�] of `� O ns M ami 0 ,C IM �+ ,c ° � n > C140 © = � i0 0 y c m � � L! > ec75 0c V v v i3 ' HCD M CL c .� o a c0i �.Q E o Sc t .� ttrr`,, o u era C = t. CM 0 Q C5 CL c � di 0 CL Cu— }: = `° 'W viE ui CL e� 0oCLCc ujca cc c ` v, c _ � Lu 0 c cc ct m � Cl)cn cc 5 C� o J 0 N 0 CD ~ W E _j _jLU 0 Eu ` ' v -1o W 0 - (a rtt Lu to _jmw . 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