King County wants to honor the very best students, teachers, staff, school volunteers, programs and even entire schools that are contributing to student environmental education and environmental protection, through the county’s Earth Heroes at School awards program.
Nominations for the 2014 Earth Heroes at School are due March 10, and winners will be honored at an event this spring. Earth Heroes can be nominated by colleagues, classmates and the public. Self-nominations are also encouraged.
Nomination forms are available by calling Donna Miscolta, 206-477-5282, donna.miscolta@kingcounty.gov, and online at http://your.kingcounty.gov/solidwaste/education/earth-heroes.asp.
Recycling, restoring habitat, composting lunchroom waste and growing pesticide-free gardens are among the many types of award-winning projects carried out by students, teachers and staff in King County schools.
By acknowledging these school community environmental leaders through the Earth Heroes at School Program, King County hopes to inspire others to adopt similar actions to protect the environment.
The program is offered through the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks.
Earth Heroes at School honorees in 2013 included:
• Nancy Bacon, a substitute teacher in the Northshore School District, who engaged students in environmental projects, emphasizing the importance of community involvement. Her projects include helping save a neighborhood park, restoring streams and protecting salmon.
• Mathias Cohanim, David Kintzer and other members of the Green Team at Northwest Yeshiva High School on Mercer Island, who monitored the school’s recycling program, partnered with Redeeming Soles to collect shoes for reuse, and advocated for green purchasing.
• Romanito Celestial, Kahanu Kahoonei and Scott Haines of Sacajawea Middle School in Federal Way, who revived a lapsed lunchroom recycling program by recruiting student volunteers to monitor the system, and coordinating efforts to promote participation, which resulted in an 80 percent reduction in lunch waste.
• Cassandra Houghton, president of Tahoma High School’s Sustainability Ambassadors, who helped her school reach Level Two of the King County Green Schools Program. She also worked on stormwater issues for the City of Maple Valley and the district-wide Waste-Free Wednesdays.
