Shame on me for waiting so long to share this tremendous news. That's right, PS334/The Anderson School is this year's recipient of the Golden Apple Award for (Borough and City Wide) TrashMasters! Super Recyclers!
Wow, what a difference a year makes!
Just over a year ago when PS334/The Anderson School found out that it was moving from PS 9 on W. 84th St. to the O'Shea Complex/MS44 building on W. 77th St., a handful of parents and I, with the Administration on our side, started The Green Team.
Today, I'm proud to say that The Anderson School is the 2010 Golden Apple Award Winner for Trash Masters! Super Recyclers!. This award recognizes schools that have implemented model recycling programs for the materials designated by The Department of Sanitation in New York.
Our school, with the help of some wonderful parents, administrators, building staff, and most importantly the kids themselves -- our very own Trash Masters -- has made leaps and bounds this academic year for the environmental movement in the NYC Public School system.
I remember meeting Peg Watson and Jennifer Freeman of the Green School Alliance and John Shea CEO, Division of School Facilities - NYC Department of Education, for the first time last spring at the Green School Alliance Fair at Collegiate. This was the day John Shea announced that the Public Schools would join forces with the Green School Alliance (GSA), becoming the first Public School District in the Nation to join the Green Schools Alliance.
And just last month, I received a press release announcing "NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION LAUNCHES WEB SITE TO PROMOTE GREEN INITIATIVES IN CITY SCHOOLS." "We have created a web site that will inspire and engage the school community to be mindful of our environment," said DSF Sustainability Officer Ozgem Ornektekin. "The web site offers suggestions for students, teachers, building managers, custodial engineers, and principals on how to conserve our resources and improve our natural environment."
I know first hand, having been blessed to be a part of the District 3 Green Committee, a committee that only had it's Kickoff meeting in July of 09, that we can truly make a difference when we all work towards a common goal. And what better goal is there than making our planet more sustainable for our future -- our children. Another major feat this year was PS166, winning the Green Cup Challenge!
Please take a bite of A Greener Apple (NYC), my personal awareness campaign, to see all the wonderful things that happened (and I documented) for our New York City Schools this year.
Happy Eco-Friendly Summer, and don't forget to buy Green School Supplies when heading back to school in the fall! If you need a list for 'your' school, feel free to contact me!