The Villa Academy, located in Laurelhurst, was one of 31 public and private schools from across Washington state that received a cash award for their outstanding environmental program, as recognized by the Terry Husseman Sustainable School Awards, according to the Ecology News Release.
The Villa Academy Green Team won a cash reward of $1,000 for reducing waste and promoting sustainability.
The Green Team website says:
The Green Team is a student-driven, middle school club that meets weekly andexplores issues of environmental stewardship, sustainability, and conservation such as food waste composting, recycling, energy use, and air quality. This student team participates in hands-on environmental science projects that will include conducting research, gathering data, and analyzing and sharing results in order to establish lasting positive changes in our school and community.
This student team will participate in hands-on environmental science projects that will include conducting research, gathering data, and analyzing and sharing results in order to establish lasting positive changes in our school and community.
Roger Crafts, Science, Math and PE teacher at Villa said Green Team members will have a say in what projects this year's award will go toward.
Last year, the Team helped choose the native gardening project and the $300.00 award went toward tool, plant, and soil purchase.
"Besides doing all the manual labor for the project, they also helped decide location, took part in a Schoolyard Wildlife Habitat training, and researched which native plants would be suitable for the particular garden location.," Roger told us.
Roger told us about the team: "Instead of just talking about environmental issues, middle school students develop a much stronger connection to the natural world by taking action and getting dirty. When their efforts actually mean something, they are way more motivated and interested. This project was just one of the many student-driven, hands-on stewardship projects on which Green Team has worked."
Villa, through the efforts of the Green Team, received its first Washington Green Schools Award last Friday.
Currently the Green Team is also working toward National Wildlife Federation's Eco-Schools USA certification this spring.
(Villa Food Waste And Recycling Team in picture courtesy of Green Team website)
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