Gloria Lengel, a teacher at Sunnyside Elementary School is the head of the recycling and energy conservation program initiated by the schools of Cumberland County. It is her task to visit the schools of the county and check if the recycling activities are being carried out.
On her surprise visits to the schools, she picks a plastic bag at random and verifies if the recyclables in it are sorted and placed. She captures a photo of the contents if she notices that the plastic and paper have not been segregated.
Environmental initiatives by Cumberland County Schools
The recycling initiative taken by the Cumberland county schools is an attempt to pay more heed to the degrading environment. Aside from being a moral obligation, environmental efforts also help generate revenue for the schools.
The recycling program reduces the amount paid by the schools to have their trash disposed and brings in income from the recyclables. Usage of electricity and natural gas are also drastically curtailed.
A friendly competition is encouraged among the county schools, to make the recycling program more interesting. Best performing schools are awarded prizes and recognized for their efforts.
Ferguson-Easley Elementary School that was recognized for its services for the year 2011, intends to use the prize money to renovate the school’s butterfly shaped garden and build an atrium. Ireland Drive Middle School, which also received the prize money, is toying with ideas of replacing florescent lamps with LEDs or growing more plants in the school.
Conserving energy and converting recyclables into eco friendly promotional items
Lengel taught environmental science in several Cumberland County schools before she retired. She is driven to conserve the environment, and her present role as the head of the recycling program helps her do just that.
Lengel has been nicknamed as the ‘green police’ but she prefers being called as a ‘problem solver’. Her role as an environmental head of the county schools began in October 2011. She is currently an employee of the Non-profit Organization, Sustainable Sandhills.
Lengel’s other environmental responsibilities include removal of lamps from beverage machines and monitoring the air conditioning systems at schools. She notifies schools to turn off lights and unplug appliances before closing for the vacation.
While energy saving measures lessens the money lost on maintenance, recycling programs helps generate revenue by converting recyclables into useful eco friendly promotional items.
Source: http://www.fayobserver.com/articles/2012/11/25/1214398?sac=fo.business
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