The Whitney Community center, lead by Chris Kranz, in cooperation with the school has planted a living lab right outside the Community Center. Kranz also dug in and procurred additional seed money from the Boise Urban Garden School (B.U.G.S.) for the 2011 growing season. Walk around the school and observe their hardwork. I enjoyed stumbling upon the location of a hidden tomato bed!
The original 7 raised planting beds from last year on the southwest side of the building are soon to be joined by 10 new raised beds. I agree with Principal Jean Lovelace when she talks about the benefits of planting edibles. Not only does it give our kids access to nutritious food they brought into this world but it is something they should be very proud of in the community. It gives our kids an identity as somebody who had a hand in making something special. This is a fantastic project and one I hope we get to see at every school in the valley.
The tomatoes aren't the only things growing rapidly at Whitney; have you seen some of the Whitney kids running around? My own are growing like weeds and we all know when they grow, they eat, eat and then eat some more. Whitney is fortunately part of the Summer Breakfast and Lunch program just in case you want to throw in an extra feeding FREE of charge. Summer Food Service Program. Meals will be provided to children, ages 1–18, without charge. Breakfast from 7:45–8:30; lunch from 11:15–12:30— Whitney Elementary. For more information please see: www.boiseschools.org.
It's no wonder the neighborhood kids are getting bigger and looking so good--I see them riding their bikes, at the school playing and frequently walking to and from South Pool. It is very nice to see so many families riding their bikes together and enjoying the summer. This is also a visible reminder to drivers that we must all be on our best behavior. That means: obey the speed limit, make full stops at stop signs, follow the rules of the road, drive defensively and if you see a child on a bike or walking give them the right of way even if it is yours to take. Let this summer be a safe one and not a tragic one.
We're growing our gardens, our kids, our healthy habits and did you know that even though school is out we are still growing our PTO funds? Beginning in September 2010 we grew our TerraCycle program at Whitney to include just about anything TerraCycle collects. In less than one year we have collected $147.00 from sending in non-recyclable trash like Ziploc bags and earning credits at $.02 per item. These are items that would normally end up in the landfill, yet TerraCycle has committed to upcycling them into products such as fencing or decking material. The list of what we predominantly collect is as follows:
Capri Sun Drink Pouches
Scott Brand Plastic Wrappers
Huggies Wrappers*
Scotch Tape Dispensers
Cereal Bags
Elmer's Glue Bottles and Sticks
Neosporin Tubes
Lunchable Lunch Kits
Colgate Oral Care Items
Candy Wrappers
Cookie Packages
Home Storage (Ziploc bags*)
Tortilla and Tostada Bags
InkJet Print Cartridges
Cheese Packages
Personal Care and Beauty (shampoo bottles and makeup containers)
Revolution Foods
Sprout Baby Food Pouches
Peanut Butter Pouches
Energy Bar Wrappers
Core Wrappers
Method Soap Refills
Solo Cups
Keyboards and Mouse/Computer Periperals
Laptops
Digital Cameras
Cell Phones
Chip Bags
Writing Instruments
Wine Corks
* Some items also have Box Top for Education coupons on them making them extra valuable to us! If you do not remove the label, I will remove the coupon and hand it over to our Box Top coordinator to ensure we get all of the money off the packaging that we can.
On some of the collection brigades like Ziploc and Colgate, I have been turning in other brands aside from the brand sponsor as well. For example, I turn in generic and Glad bags as well as Ziploc bags and Crest toothpaste tubes and toothbrushes as well as Colgate. Even if we do not get credit for the item (it appears that thus far we do) it still diverts these items from the landfill.
Over the summer, KEEP SAVING! If it becomes a burden to hang onto your TerraCycle items please let me know and I will pick them up or we can arrange a group drop off at the school one day.
Speaking of saving money, have you noticed the southside roof of Whitney these days? After school let out construction began on the solar panels for the roof. These will contribute to the overall eco-friendly construction of the school. Yes, I totally geeked out about the whole thing and will be reporting in this blog how much money the school saves in electricity costs as soon as Principal Lovelace gives us a report in the fall.
Nikki Rutledge
-Whitney Parent
