Summit brings schools together for a greener world.

Byline: RECYCLING By Sarah Grimm For The Register-Guard

On St. Patrick's Day, students from around the state will converge in Eugene to help create a greener world.

Willamette High School will host the statewide Oregon Green School Summit on March 17. The summit will provide an excellent networking and educational opportunity for schools across the state.

Activities at this year's summit include a recycling magician act; interactive sessions on recycling and waste audits, energy and water conservation, worm bin composting, electronic waste solutions, school gardening and reuse art; and a showcase of innovative programs from across the state.

Adults and teens will participate in roundtable discussions and attend sessions in maximizing polystyrene and electronics recycling, going solar, current issues related to Oregon's bottle bill and farm-to-cafeteria lunch programs.

The Oregon Green Schools program is a nonprofit organization formed in 1997 and is supported through the Oregon Refuse and Recycling Association, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and local governments. There are more than 25 regional coordinators throughout the state and more than 200 participating schools.

During the past several years, the number of schools in Lane County to be certified as "green schools" has grown to 18 - with 14 in the Bethel and Eugene school districts.

The Oregon Green Schools program is designed to help schools set up and maintain effective, permanent waste reduction and resource efficiency programs that improve schools and communities. Local coordinators help schools with certification.

Gilham Elementary, a green school, has a team of student recyclers arriving 30 minutes before school starts each week to help with the recycling duties. They empty recycling bins set out in the hallway by teachers, and if a classroom slips and puts garbage in their recycling, they receive an educational "visit" from one of the recycling team members. There currently is a waiting list to be on the recycling team that helps the school recycle 64 percent of its waste stream.

Corridor Elementary maintains a zero-waste lunch bag program, reducing the amount of packaging waste brought from home. Students also feed leftover fruit and vegetable waste to hungry worms inside their six large worm bins, and then apply the worm castings to their school garden.

Territorial Elementary third-graders collect recyclables from classrooms once a week, and fourth-graders collect food scraps daily from the cafeteria and classrooms and use it to maintain a classroom worm bin and a garden composter.

Each school chooses its own plan of action for spreading the message of conservation and participation.

Schools that attain "merit level" take their message and mentoring to other schools.

For example, Churchill High School partnered with Kennedy, Jefferson, and Kelly middle schools to implement a No. 6 polystyrene collection program for their lunchroom plates, clamshells and eating utensils.

"Premier level" schools reach out to the community with their resource conservation message. Willamette High School will be hosting the statewide Oregon Green School Summit as part of its outreach to the community.

Schools interested in attending the Green School Summit next month must be either certified as a green school or have its certification application filled out by Friday (also the registration deadline for the Summit).

To learn more about the Oregon Green School program, and to download an application, go to www .oregongreenschools.org. Schools within Eugene may contact Anne Donahue at 682-5542, and schools in Lane County can contact Sarah Grimm at 682-2059.

Oregon green schools impact more than 6,000 students in Eugene and surrounding Lane County. Schools certified in the program include: Cascade Middle School, Cesar E. Chavez Elementary, Corridor Elementary, Eugene Waldorf School, Fairfield Elementary, Harris Elementary, Meadow View School, Ridgeline Montessori Public Charter School, Willamette High School, Gilham Elementary, Creswell High School, Fern Ridge Middle School, Oaklea Middle School, Page Elementary and Churchill High School (merit level).

Sarah Grimm is the Master Recycler coordinator for Lane County's Waste Management Division. This column is provided by Lane County Recycling.