“Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.”

By: Shira Damari, Elan Samoohi, Eytan Mendelow & Bryan Frankel

Since school waste is up to

80% recyclable, schools make

a huge impact when they

recycle. Recycling is also

cheaper than trash disposal,

so it helps save the

environment AND their

budget!

Post- it notes: Americans throw away enough office and writing

paper annually to build a wall 12 feet high stretching

from Los Angeles to New York City.

Recycling all of your paper, newsprint,

cardboard, glass, and metal can reduce carbon

dioxide emissions by up to 850 pounds per

household per year. One ton of recycled paper uses: 64% less

energy, 50% less water, 74% less air pollution,

saves 17 trees and creates 5 times more jobs

than one ton of paper products from virgin wood

pulp.

If everyone in the U.S. recycled just 1/10 of their newsprint, we would save the estimated equivalent of about 25 million trees a year.

Do students at schools actually recycle ?

Cresskill: Students at Cresskill High

School had different responses from those at Bergenfield. Unlike at

Bergenfield, where only 40% of the student population

recycles, Cresskill students believed 70% of Cresskill

High School recycles. They said they don’t “really”

have a choice about whether they want to

recycle. They are encouraged to do so not

only by fellow classmates or schoolmates, but by the

administration as well. The administration always gives them little “pushes” to help

them recycle.

Bergenfield: We asked three students at

Bergenfield High School about whether or not it’s

easy for students to recycle. They said that for many students it takes a lot of effort to put the proper

products in the proper bins. An average of 40% of the school actually recycles.

Teaneck: Of the three students we

asked about recycling practices in their school, each one had the same

answer: “We try, but no one cares enough to recycle.” An estimated average of 30% of the school actually puts in

efforts to recycle.

What are the top three cleanest cities in the United States?

San

Francisco

San Francisco is considered one of the most eco-friendly and beautiful cities in the entire world. The city has a ban on plastic bags and refrains from selling plastic water bottles in supermarkets. Many hotels in San Francisco also offer organic meals. San Francisco says that by 2020, it wants to be waste-free.

Portland

Locavorism is a word that is used to describe eating locally. Whether it is by picking up produce at a local farmers market or eating at a restaurant that promises its produce is from a local farm, eating locally is one way to reduce your carbon footprint. One big reason it does so is because it reduces the amount of fuel used to transport food; there is no need to ship food across the country. Eating locally also supports the local economy as the money used is spent and regenerated throughout the community. Portland is very big on promoting Locavorism, making them very eco friendly.   Green policy: The city passed legislation to inform people of the ways they can become greener themselves. This can be shown through the high recycling rate in Portland, which stands at 55% percent, 17% higher than the national average.

Transportation: Portland has the nation’s highest percentage of bicycle commuters. Some 10,000 Portlanders, or 2.8 percent of the city’s population, commute on bike, taking advantage of more than 700 miles of bicycle paths around the city. A quarter of Portland’s workforce commutes by bike, carpool or public transportation (free within a 300 square block Downtown) every day.   Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Recycling: Portland became the first U.S. city to adopt a Global Warming Action Plan. Following this plan, by 2005, Portland and the surrounding Multnomah County had been able to reduce 12.5% per capita of greenhouse gas emissions.   Clean and Renewable Energy: When subscribing to electrical service, Portlanders can choose renewable energy sources for their electricity.  By paying a bit more each month, from $1.85 to $8.00 more for the average size home, Pacific Power provides the city’s citizens with clean energy sources from wind, solar, and bio-mass.  By utilizing the “Blue Sky” package, a household could “prevent almost 24,000 pounds of CO2 emissions annually, as much as a car makes when driven about 25,000 miles.”

Boston

Boston is the first city in the nation to require a green building standard through municipal zoning requirements.   By amending Article 37 of the municipal zoning code, the city requires that all large-scale projects meet the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification standards.   !New Roxbury Neighborhood Police Station: The new station incorporates energy-efficient building systems as well as brand-new site utility systems and achieves LEED Silver Certification, a globally recognized green building certification program. !

Brighton Branch Library is City's First Renovated LEED Green Building: The Brighton branch library will be one of the first renovated city of Boston buildings that will incorporate the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Commercial Interiors guidelines toward achieving LEED status. !City Promotes Green Roofs: Boston has initiated several green roofs projects on city-owned buildings. There is currently a green roof demonstration being exhibited on the 8th and 9th floors of City Hall. In addition, in cooperation with the Boston Schoolyard Initiative, the city has started a green roof at the Josiah Quincy School in Chinatown, so students will have a great place to play and to learn about their environment.   Greening of Municipal Operations: An initiative designed to establish green cleaning methods, increase the purchase of environmentally preferable products, expand recycling programs in City facilities, and create a green information technology