Resources for Green Team Parents

Educate Your Parents
Share information about reducing waste with your parent body through your newsletter, e-tree, and distribution of flyers.
• Tips for packing a waste-free lunch
• Downloadable BUSD Sustainability Flyer
• Waste Fun Facts -- 2 pages of amazing and disturbing statistics about waste and the 4Rs. Use them in morning announcements, newsletter articles, posters or other communications.
>>Download Waste Fun Facts.doc
• GSS Waste Pathway Steps: An overview of the 5 steps of the Green Star Schools program, its educational objectives, some fun facts, and a glossary of terms. >>Download GSS Waste Pathway Steps.doc

Green School Parent Toolkit
Designed for busy parents, the Green Schools Parent Toolkit gives you tips on greening school events and parties, how to pack a waste-free lunch, how to start your Green Team, and more.

Green Star Classroom Award
Get your school's Green Classroom recognized! Download the Green Star Classroom Award here. This Word document includes instructions, a checklist, and a sample award certificate. Classrooms can earn one or two stars for taking steps to reduce waste, teaching students environmental stewardship, and documenting your activities. 

Green Team Calendar and Checklist
Use this checklist and calendar to plan your classroom, PTA, and school-wide activities throughout the year. >>Download Green Team Calendar and Checklist.doc

BUSD Waste Management Checklist
Download this checklist for an overview of how waste is managed at BUSD schools. 

School-Wide Events & Parties
• Help reduce waste at PTA meetings, at parties, and throughout the school. For large school-wide events, you can borrow Clear Stream containers by contacting Andy Schneider, City of Berkeley Recycling Manager, aschneider(at)cityofberkeley(dot)info, (510) 981-6357 at least three days in advance. Containers and bags for compost, recycling, and trash are provided free of charge; the pickup location is at Gilman and 2nd. 
• Tips for greening your events - This page has all sorts of ideas for making your events more green, from holding them outdoors to using online invitations, from avoiding disposable plastics to buying local and waste-free products. 
• Create a Classroom Party Basket - Ask a Green Team or PTA Parent to create a "Zero Waste Party Basket" with reusable plates, cups, and utensils. The basket can be checked out from the office, used, washed, and returned clean for the next classroom party. 
• Waste Reduction Action Projects - A list of 7 steps to start your school waste reduction program, and a longer list of ideas for fun activities to help engage your whole school community. 
>>Download Waste Reduction Action Projects.doc

Create a Student Lunchtime Monitor Schedule
Tips and a downloadable template that will help you create a lunchtime monitor schedule for student jobs to rotate among classes at your school.

Audits
• Waste Audit Worksheet - Simple audit worksheet for students to use to audit various areas in the school for waste. >>Download Waste Audit 2013.doc
• Central Dumpster Audit Form - Use this form to audit the central waste dumpsters and/or bins to evaluate both how full they are and the level of contamination. The goal is to have the garbage dumpster less full and the compost and recycling dumpsters more full so that the size of the garbage dumpster and frequency of pickups can be reduced in order to save the school money. >>Download Dumpster Audit Form.doc

SIGNS
Download PDF/JPEG and Adobe Illustrator signs for labeling landfill, recycling, and compost bins. 

VIDEO: Think Before You Throw
Show this video - made by Berkeley High students - in your classroom, at your PTA meeting, and/or at an assembly to teach everyone about why it's important to reduce waste and how to sort properly at school.