King County Waste Reduction, Recycling, and Green Schools Program

SERVICE AREA: Youth Education, Sustainability Assistance

Overview

We provide conservation education for grades K-12, school waste systems analysis, project planning and recommendations with an emphasis on waste reduction, recycling, and composting. Triangle accomplishes this through school assemblies, classroom workshops, technical assistance and Green Team project support.

Assembly and Elementary Workshops

Triangle designs, schedules and delivers school-wide assemblies to county elementary schools on behalf of the King County Solid Waste Division. These dynamic shows provide students in grades K-5 with a chance to laugh, learn and practice positive conservation behaviors. The current assembly, Going Green Together, showcases two professional actors as a variety of characters reminding students why it is important to keep waste out of the landfill. In addition, grades 3-5 students learn the effects of waste reduction on climate change. After the assembly, schools are encouraged to schedule two to four follow-up classroom workshops, which use hands-on activities to inspire students to define problems and develop waste reduction solutions.

Secondary Workshops

The Triangle team’s middle and high school education experts design and deliver a variety of secondary classroom workshops on behalf of the King County Solid Waste Division. Students in grades 6-12 are encouraged to think critically and consider how each waste reduction topic relates to their lives as well as what steps they can take to make a difference for the environment. Triangle teachers facilitate thousands of workshops on waste reduction, recycling, food waste prevention, composting, buying recycled products, resource conservation, sustainability, climate change and more. These workshops align with the Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards and encourage student discovery through hands-on, inquiry-based, cooperative learning experiences.

Green Schools Program

Triangle, on behalf of the  King County Green Schools Program,  provides King County K-12 schools and school districts outside the city of Seattle with the tools to improve conservation awareness and practices. Some of the practice areas include waste reduction and recycling, food recovery and composting, environmental purchasing, litter reduction, hazardous material management, energy conservation, water conservation, pollution prevention, and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Over 200 schools have demonstrated progress through higher recycling rates, decreased waste, and increased education and awareness of students and staff. We support their actions by analyzing current systems and sharing resources and recommendations based on industry best practices.

Green Teams Program – Student Action Project Assistance

Triangle provides a variety of resources and services to student groups planning waste reduction and recycling projects on behalf of the King County Solid Waste Division. The purpose of the program is to encourage, inform, assist, and recognize student action groups in grades K-12. Our services include custom workshops, follow-up support, troubleshooting, resources, awards, and recognition. We help groups define their common goals and plan the steps needed to accomplish these goals. Triangle’s Green Team project assistance has helped thousands of students, teachers and schools throughout the county implement environmental stewardship projects on topics ranging from recycling awareness to food composting to reducing a school’s carbon footprint.