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Parent Group Inspires Schools To Go Green

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By JAMIE PILARCZYK, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 12, 2007

TAMPA - Eight months after its creation, the Environmental Improvement Force is catching the attention of city officials and inspiring schools to go green.

At the city council meeting Thursday, the group of parents, teachers and administrators was commended for its work.

"You're setting a great example for us," Councilwoman Mary Mulhern said.

Formed in May by a handful of concerned parents, the group has grown to include 94 members from 30 schools countywide.

Its goals are to be a resource for making sustainable improvements at schools and to set an example for students on how to be environmentally conscious, said chairwoman Leslie Farrell, whose children attend Mabry Elementary and Coleman Middle schools in South Tampa.

"In my experience, the younger we are, the easier it is for us to see things clearer," Farrell told the council on receiving the commendation.

She said students have helped lead the way in implementing programs such as the Energy Patrol, which tracks energy use in classrooms and makes sure lights and computers are turned off in empty classrooms.
Wilson Middle School implemented a recycling program after the Environmental Improvement Force pressed the city's recycling coordinator for help in providing curbside pickup for schools. Now, 20 schools get regular recycling pickup for free.

Mabry encourages the recycling of junk mail and phone books, which it takes to nearby Coleman. The city doesn't recycle junk mail or phone books, so Coleman contracted with SP Recycling Corp. in Largo, which pays the school $35 a ton. The money benefits school projects.

St. John's Episcopal in South Tampa initiated a recycling program at its middle school after joining the Environmental Improvement Force.

Since the beginning of the school year, students have recycled more than 1,000 gallons of plastic, glass and aluminum drink containers, and about 855 gallons of office paper, as measured by the city's 95-gallon recycling containers, teacher Meg Edwards said.

"The recycling program has encouraged our students to evaluate other methods we can employ as a school, as well as individual efforts, in reducing the amount of trash we generate and the overuse of our natural resources," Edwards wrote in an e-.

For information about the Environmental Improvement Force, contact Farrell at (813) 287-1914 or lesliebeth farrell@hotmail.com.

Reporter Jamie Pilarczyk can be reached at (813) 835-2114 or jpilarczyk@tampatrib.com.

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