Green Team Press
Kudos to you, Beye School, for your newsworthy commitment to green!
2012-2013
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Leaders of District97 Green Teams, and Jen Nelson from sustainability non-profit Seven Generations Ahead, accept a 2012 Fitzsimmons
Award for Public Health from the Village's Margaret Provost-Fyfe. The award acknowledged "District 97 Green Teams, a group of
students, parents and volunteers who have undertaken several sustainability initiatives in the schools including zero-waste
lunches and encouraging composting, recycling and use of reusable products." See the news article here.
- D97 Elementary School Green Teams (Beye School Green Team among them, of course) were honored with a Village of Oak Park Fitzsimmons Award for Excellence in Public Health, for having "undertaken several sustainability initiatives in the schools including zero-waste lunches and encouraging composting, recycling and use of reusable products." See the news article here.
2011-2012
- In May 2012, Beye presented, together with our Green Team/Green Ambassador counterparts from D97 Holmes School and Longfellow School, at the 2012 Chicago Green Festival at Navy Pier. For info about our talk, "Wild About Waste Reduction: Our Zero Waste School District," see here and page 24 here.
- In Apr 2012, Beye served as a venue for the first annual One Earth Film Festival in Oak Park/River Forest. Beye hosted 2 film screenings -- a Short Film Program for children ages 3-7 and a Short Film Program for children ages 8-11. See here for more info about the One Earth Film Festival.
- In April 2012, Beye and 5 of District 97's other "Zero Waste" elementary schools participated in the Village of Oak Park's Earth Fest. Our combined D97 zero waste schools booth was in part sponsored by Citibank and Green Home Experts, and included a zero waste game; demos on zero waste, composting/vermicomposting; information about our school gardening/nutrition/tasting programs; a video about D97 green programming; and a station where visitors could pledge to help OPRF students and youth in their sustainability efforts.
- Beye School served as a stop on the inaugural GCC green bike tour Sat 9/24/11 from 1-4P. As part of this event, which coincides with 350.org's global www.moving-planet.org initiative, Beye showcased its garden, composting operation, and sorting stations. Click for more info about the GCC green bike tour.
- A Beye Green Team representative presented an adult "Zero Waste Forum" at LaSalle Street Church on Aug 8, 2011, using Beye Green as a case study.
- Beye's 2011 Environmental Hero Award is covered in an article by Oak Park's local Sun Times publication, the Oak Leaves, on May 24, 2011.
- Beye's Green Ambassadors attended a Field Trip/Volunteering Project to the 5th annual Chicago Green Festival at McCormick Place on April 15, 2011; the Beye Green Team presented a session - also at Greenfest - entitled "One School's Zero Waste Journey."
- Beye School enjoyed Imagination Theater's "Go Green" production for 2011 Earth Month on April 18, 2011.
- Beye School won one of just ten 2011 Environmental Hero Awards across the State from IL Governor Pat Quinn. The Green Team was present to accept the award from Gov. Quinn on April 1 at the Illinois Sustainable Schools Symposium. To learn about the IL Environmental Hero awards program (including a link with info to all 2011 winners), click here.
- Beye presented with Seven Generations Ahead at the Illinois Sustainable Schools Symposium on Apr 1, 2011, where we participated in a panel about sustainable schools/zero waste funding and implementations.
- Beye Green participated, together with the other Wellness subcommittees of Fitness & Nutrition, in our schools' first-ever Wellapalooza wellness fair on Mar 15, 2011.
- Beye hosted a tour group from Cincinnati (including representatives from the "Keep Cincinnati Beautiful" initiative and the Sunny Delight beverage factory), Feb 2011. The group observe our Zero Waste setup, and we're told they found it helpful to initiating their own ZW efforts.
- Thanks to Beye alum, Graham Steele, who conducted an Eagle Scout project to build bins for helping with our composting efforts. Read about it in the Wednesday Journal, Nov 2010.
- Beye School hosted tours/info sessions, Nov 2010, for area schools wanting to observe our "reusable lunchroom" setup/process, and other zero waste projects for purposes of their own education and implementation efforts.
- Beye Green participated in a Zero Waste schools training & information session, led by www.sevengenerationsahead.org at the Greentown Chicago conference on Wed 13 Oct, 2010 at Columbia College.
- Beye Girl Scouts conducted a 10/10/10 "Work Party" on behalf of 350.org'sevents for global sustainability. Their "rolling" work party was a Beye grounds & neighborhood cleanup by bike; afterwards, they posed for a photo to send to 350.org!
- Beye Green participated and was featured in the Green Community Connections Forum, sharing information about Beye's Zero Waste initiatives since 2008. The forum, held in Oak Park on 7 Sept 2010, was sponsored by the Oak Park Energy Initiative, Green Blocks, and several other local organizations focused on a sustainable Oak Park.
- Beye's & District 97's Zero Waste efforts presented as a case study by Seven Generations Ahead at the Greentown Conference, Grand Rapids MI, 10 Sept 2010.
- Beye School applies for and receives it's 2nd $10,000 Zero Waste grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity, June 2010.
- Beye School's Zero Waste campaign is featured at the Illinois Recycling & Waste Management Conference, 9 June 1010.
- Beye School's Zero Waste campaign (Collaboration is KEY to Zero Waste Sustainability) is featured at the "Becoming a Zero Waste School" workshop at Whole Foods Market, Lincoln Park on 25 May 2010. The workshop was run by sustainable communities consultancy, SGA (www.sevengenerationsahead.org), and also featured a Zero Waste case-study by our friends at Holmes School. SGA helped guide us through our ZW grant application processes and is using Oak Park's District 97 as a model for bringing ZW schools to Chicago and surrounding towns.
- Beye School's Zero Waste campaign (One School's Zero Waste Journey) is featured at a Green Tuesdays lecture on "What's New in Waste: Current recycling and waste diversion efforts, new programs and future projects" on 27 April 2010. Green Tuesdays are a partnership between the Oak Park Environment & Energy Commission, Oak Park Public works, and local organizations.
- Oak Park District97/Seven Generations Ahead's Zero Waste initiatives featured in "Launching Zero Waste Schools," BioCycle Magazine, March 2010.
- Beye Schools signs the Governor's Illinois Sustainable Schools Compact in Fall 2009, signifying its ongoing commitment to greening its operations, buildings & grounds, and curriculum.
- Beye School applies for and receives a $10,000 Zero Waste grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity. See the 9 Oct 2009 press release. Of 31 schools receiving the IL DCEO grants, 6 schools (20%) were in Oak Park's District 97!
- Beye School's Earth Month "Trash Tree" school-wide recycled art project is covered in the Wednesday Journal, 2 May 2009.
