Sunday, Sep. 12, 2010
Ravenscroft teacher wins 'green' award
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closeRavenscroft School's Colleen Kramer, who has organized the institution's efforts to be environmentally friendly, was recently named a Save it Forward Green Educator of the Year for the North Carolina Triangle Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council.
The goal of the Save it Forward awards program is to "recognize the grass roots movements, the unsung heroes, and the tiniest voices who are saving the planet forward for the next generation."
Staff writer Sarah Rubenoff recently asked Kramer about the award and her projects. Responses have been edited for length.
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Terracycle: Ravenscroft has been collecting CapriSun pouches and Frito Lay chip bags since January. So far, the school has collected 6,658 drink pouches and 3,191 chip bags with proceeds of $196.98 for the school.
Compost: Ravenscroft began composting in the dining hall in August 2009.So far, 12,095 pounds or 14,464 gallons (enough to fill more than a backyard swimming pool) has been collected and diverted from the landfill.This spring, the school community was awarded a $10,000 Waste Reduction Grant from Wake County. The compost is donated back to the school from Brooks composting and used in all school gardens.
Reusable: Ravenscroft's dining hall converted from disposables to reusable plates, silverware, bowls and cups.This change saves about $8,000 per year in purchase of goods and cuts out a tremendous source of the waste stream.
Cooking Oil: Ecological Recycling picks up all the used cooking oil and takes it to local farms.From August to February, more than 500 pounds was recycled.
Bin Grant: Ravenscroft was awarded 20 recycling bins from Wake County Solid Waste worth $1,000 in fall 2009.
Solar Panels: In April of this year, Ravenscroft was awarded a $20,000 grant from the Hillsdale Fund to install a 2 kilowatt solar panel on the roof of the library and technology building.The grant includes a five-year subscription to a Web-based monitoring system so students can see the amount of solar energy being utilized day by day and hour by hour.
For a full list, see ravenscroft.org.
Q: Why is the green movement so important to you?
As the parent of a 3-year-old and a 2-year-old, I have become more aware of how my everyday choices will affect my children's future and future generations. I want my children, and the students at Ravenscroft, to know that the world is bigger than Raleigh, and that our actions have consequences.
Q: What inspired you to really make a difference?
The parents, faculty and staff, students and trustees I have had the pleasure to work with have really been the inspiration. The event that really brought the movement to light was a dumpster dive we did on campus for Earth Day in 2009. We dumped an entire dumpster on the upper school green and, with student help, we sorted the contents into recyclables, trash, compost and reusable products. This inspired us to expand the recycling program and begin composting on campus to ultimately try to cut our waste ... by 50 percent.
Q: What does your position entail?
Our sustainability committee is divided into three working committees:waste and well-being (focus on compost, recycling, and the dining hall), education and engagement (focus on including the entire community in these efforts) and buildings and grounds (focus on the infrastructure, energy and water usage).We have written a five-year plan to continue to improve our sustainability, and I spend time working with community members to complete projects in each of these areas.
Q: How do you inspire the students at Ravenscroft to be active in protecting the environment?
I have worked on making our efforts as inclusive and as hands-on for the community as possible. The students helped sort the trash for the dumpster dive. They compost in the dining hall every day. We have built solar cars to demonstrate an alternative form of energy. Students on campus plant and maintain gardens. They upcycle drink pouches and chip bags and turn off lights and computers, and they help clean up streams and our campus.
Q: Do you think the green movement starts by educating the young?
I think change can be made by educating the young as they are most open to change, but I have learned that education at any age can change the level of consciousness. When we started composting in the dining hall last fall, parents came to volunteer each day for six weeks. Those same parents have now purchased backyard compost containers and are looking to learn more every day. So, while the students bring the message back home, parents are definitely following their lead.
Q: What does this award mean to you?
Being recognized is wonderful in that it confirms that we are moving in the right direction. Ravenscroft has accomplished a great deal in 18 months, but this is not something I have done alone, and we know we have much more to accomplish.With research and a network of people, from on campus to off, members of the Triangle community have made much change possible. Most recently, we were able to add solar panels to the roof of our library and technology center with a generous grant from The Hillsdale Fund. I have learned more than I ever thought I would about lighting a building and planting native plants, and it has all been an adventure.
