On January 12, 2010 we conducted a Waste Audit at the school. The reason for the waste audit

was to identify the "what, where and how" waste is generated in the school. The audit measured the

waste produced daily in the lunchroom, classrooms and the school office. (For the complete results of

the Waste Audit please see below.) The results showed us that there are many

ways that the school as a whole can work together and take extra steps to better the environment.

St. Leonard School has applied for a Zero Waste Grant sponsored by the Illinois Department of

Commerce and Economic Opportunity. The grant would provide the school with funding for additional

classroom collection bins, centralized lunchroom collection containers, all the supplies needed to start a

backyard composting site, hand dryers for bathrooms currently using paper towels, individual dry-erase

boards, and two more interactive white boards for classroom use. This grant would encourage the

school to enforce mandatory recycling policies, such as double-sided copies and the use of email for

school memos. The grants will be awarded in April and if we were to receive the funding, the new

program would take affect at the beginning of the 2010-11 school year.

In an effort to raise immediate awareness , we have begun taking small steps to becoming a

Waste Free environment. As of February 1, 2010 we have implemented the St Leonard School's Project

Zero. This project will help to educate the students, staff and the families of what changes they can

make in their everyday lifestyle to better the planet. Through classroom activities and school

assemblies, we will educate the students on why they should recycle and how to do it. The other major

focus of Project Zero is to physically begin cutting down the amount of waste that we produce. Please

visit the new "Go Green" page on Edline for educational recycling games for children, weekly green tips,

pictures of the Waste Audit, ideas for bringing recycling in to your home and for constant updates and

advancements in our green initiative.

Please contact Mrs. Evans at mevans@stleonardschool.org or Miss Vistine at

tavistine@stleonardschool.org if you have any questions or suggestions. We will keep the parents

updated on the results of the grant request and the on the steps we are taking to become a Zero Waste

School.

We look forward to working together to better our school and planet.