Submitted by Judy Deogracias on behalf of the D90 Green4Good Committee
600 cars brought all manner of items to be recycled!
Having never done anything like this, we weren’t sure what kind of response to anticipate. We had a modest goal of 50 cars (we thought that would be respectable for the first time). Needless to say we were pleasantly surprised by the actual volume as well as the gratitude expressed by those we served. People were thrilled to have this take place in their community and asked us if it would be an annual event. We certainly hope it will be! There was a lot of work to put this on - meetings, heavy lifting, getting the word out, logistics, etc. - but there was also a great energy among everyone involved. Because of this, it just kind of all came together naturally.
Three semis of electronics and batteries were collected
River Forest School District 90’s Green4Good Committee organized the Recycling Extravaganza, a drive-up, drop-off recycling event on May 5, 2012. 8am to 1:30 pm. When we officially closed, over 600 cars came through (a handful came through twice, and those aren’t counted twice in the tally!). Most drop offs were people from River Forest’s ZIP code but we also received substantial traffic from neighboring towns. We were astounded to see cars lined up as early as 7:30 when we did not officially “open” until 8:00. Three semis of electronics and batteries were collected as well as a substantial amount of scrap metal. There were also collections for unused prescription drugs, used bikes and many other items from a long list of vendors.
Success attributed to the cooperation and enthusiasm of partners and organizing team
The Recycling Extravaganza was inspired by a similar event organized by SCARCE, an environmental education not-for-profit in Glen Ellyn. District 90 Green4Good also wants to acknowledge that the event was successful because of the cooperation and enthusiasm for it we received at the District level (D90 School Superintendent Ed Condon volunteered during the event!) and collaboration of our event partners, which included the Village of River Forest, River Forest Citizens Corps, River Forest United Methodist Church, The River Forest Service Club, Whole Foods Market, River Forest Park District Foundation and SCARCE. The Recycling Extravaganza was designed as a zero waste event made possible by an on site household waste composter, donated to the event’s site host, the River Forest United Methodist Church, by the River Forest Park District Foundation.
Green4Good fosters a lifelong connection to the natural world for D90 students and families
District 90’s Green4Good Committee is comprised of the Green4Good Committees at each school, as well as several District 90 administrators all working toward making District 90 greener. Within each school, Green4Good strives to promote a safe and healthy learning environment; encourage environmental stewardship at school and in the community; and foster a lifelong connection to the natural world for all District 90 students and their families. 2011-12 Green4Good school committee members included Katerina Berin, Tina Ciserella, Keary Cragan, Judy Deogracias, Laura Maychruk, Julie Moller, Renee Sichlau and Liz Ziehl.
Vendors for the event
Vendors for the event included: ACME Recycling collected electronics (no dehumidifiers, air conditioners or refrigerators), batteries (household, computer and car), and scrap metal (including washers and dryers). SCARCE, an environmental education notfor-profit in Glen Ellyn will collect musical instruments, school supplies (old crayons, rulers, usable spiral notebooks and binders). In addition, plastic grocery and dry cleaning bags, and CFL bulbs (no fluorescent tubes) were collected, as well as tattered American flags and ink jet cartridges.
Additional collections on site: Whole Foods - corks and #5 plastic containers; Environmental Services of Cook County - prescription medications; Lions Club - eyeglasses and hearing aids; Amerigas - propane and Oxygen tanks; Cintas - fire extinguishers; Working Bikes - working and non-working bikes, sewing machines, bike helmets and accessories, non-motorized wheelchairs; Goodwill Textile Recycling - torn or stained clothing for recycling, all shoes, sheets and towels; Animal Care League - collars and leashes.
Please look for additional announcements about Green4Good’s initiatives on the District 90 Green4Good website, www.district90.org/subsite/dist/page/green-team-1385.
