Clark County Green News
2020-2021 Year in Review
This has certainly been a year unlike any other, but schools around Clark County rose up to the challenges they faced and made some incredible things happen. Students, teachers, administrators, and building operators all worked together to create new projects and find different solutions to make their homes and schools more sustainable. We are also so thankful to have such wonderful partners in EarthGen (formerly Washington Green Schools) and Waste Connections to help us support our schools and provide new educational materials, activities, and virtual learning opportunities throughout the year. We've had tons of fun interacting with students and Green Team Leaders virtually this year, and we can't wait for the day that we can be together again in person.
As the school year comes to an end, we wanted to showcase the amazing work our school community and partners did this year. Thank you!
Fall
The Clark County Nature Network, a coalition of environmental and conservation organizations and agencies, including Clark County Green Schools, hosted a series of green schoolyards and gardens webinars. Find recordings of the webinars here.
EarthGen launched the new At-Home Certification Category for students to take what they've learned in class or Green Team and apply it at home. This allowed schools an opportunity to still earn a certificate for their sustainability efforts even though they weren't at school. Learn about the new category here.
We created new virtual resources including a Google Earth Tour of West Van Materials Recovery Facility and a Google Tour of the journey your trash takes from your home to the landfill. We also created a Virtual Learning Center with other activities and helpful resources. Find out more here.
Winter
Our virtual waste reduction lessons with Ellen Ives, our partner and educator at Waste Connections, went live in January. Students learned about recycling and the sorting system and how to reduce their waste. Check this out here.
Our longtime partner, Washington Green Schools, changed their name to EarthGen to have a name that better reflected the urgency and importance of what they do, which is equip youth to become leaders in the fight against climate change and environmental injustice. Learn more about the name change here.
Spring
Nancy Stoy, Green Team Leader and day custodian at Lacamas Lake Elementary, received Clark County's 2021 Green Apple Award. Congrats to Nancy! Read more about Nancy here.
Gaiser Middle School was the first school in Clark County to certify in EarthGen's new At-Home Certification category in Clark County. Students conducted home waste audits, turned down their thermostats, and ate less meat. Nice work, Gaiser! Check out their story here.
Washougal High School made a huge change and was able to switch from disposable to durable dishware. They also added sort tables so students could sort their lunch waste into the proper bins. What an accomplishment! Read more about their journey here.
Summer
Alongside EarthGen, we hosted the first ever Virtual Student Summits via Zoom and welcomed students from around the state. It was so fun learning about different careers, inspiring environmental leaders around the world, and all the amazing work school green teams have done this year. Check out the Summits here.
Michelle Sanow, Clark County Green Schools' coordinator for 5 years, moved on from the program to start her own consulting business. Although we are so sad to see her go, we are excited for her and her new journey! Read more about Michelle here.
We launched a new interactive map featuring Clark County school gardens and outdoor features. There are some amazing projects and programs to get kids involved in nature! Check it out here.
Thank you all so much for a wonderful year, and we are looking forward to a great 2021-2022 school year! Please reach out to us if you need any new recycling materials, have any questions about our program, or want to get involved at your school but don't know where to start. We're always here to support you!
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