Eastside Memorial High School in Austin ISD was named the 2016 Zero-Waste Champions by Keep Austin Beautiful, in partnership with the Bleed Orange Live Green initiative and Austin Resource Recovery. Each year, the award recognizes a local Austin school for outstanding efforts to reduce waste.
The school is also being recognized as the first high school in Texas to be awarded the Eco-Schools USA Green Flag from the National Wildlife Federation and is a Bright Green Futures grant recipient.
“Schools like Eastside Memorial are paving the road to zero waste and fostering the next generation of environmental leaders,” says Keep Austin Beautiful Executive Director Rodney Ahart.
During the 2015-16 school year, Keep Austin Beautiful delivered the Generation Zero program, in which environmental systems students learned about the economic aspects of resource management and the benefits of becoming zero waste.
The school’s staff and students conducted a school-wide, bilingual recycling education campaign. Construction technology students built 3D display boards about what is considered recyclable. Occupational prep students maintained recycling bins in classrooms. Teachers worked with AISD and Austin Resource Recovery to provide more bins and introduce compost pickup at the school.
Thanks to the Bleed Orange Live Green partnership, the school received a $500 cash prize and 22 tickets for students and their chaperones to attend the UT vs. Iowa State football game on Oct. 15. The guests enjoyed pre-game festivities and were recognized on the field during the game.
For more information, visit keepaustinbeautiful.org.
