Across Kansas, businesses, educational institutions and government offices have signed up to become “Green Teams.” Each year, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment recognizes the greenest of those teams.
Here’s who won this year and what they did to deserve it.
Dream Team Award: Hyatt Regency in Wichita
- Recycles 6,000 pounds of cardboard and 1,350 pounds of paper each month. Plastic and aluminum is also recycled.
- Installed compact fluorescent lights in all guest rooms and used efficient t8 fluorescent tubes in meeting rooms, all of which are recycled.
- Gas, electric and water consumption dropped by 9 percent since 2006.
- Every month, approximately 400 pounds of unused soap in guest rooms is sent to a recycling company for sanitizing and distribution to organizations helping those in need.
Continuous Improvement Award: SRS Record Center
- Thanks to a high capacity Allegheny industrial shredder, more than 92,000 pounds of shredded paper and 1,280 pounds of cardboard have been recycled.
Sustainability Education Award: Southwestern College
- Green Team members lead sustainability trainings in residence halls and departments throughout the college.
- Worked with the local school district to plant a community garden in Winfield. The garden emphasizes the importance of locally grown food.
- Surrounding Earth Day, they hosted environmentally friendly activities such as Park-It-Week, Plant-a-Tree Day, nature hike, educational speakers and Sweep Winfield.
Leadership Award: Becky Carter, Larned Juvenile Correctional Facility
- Instrumental in keeping the recycling program at the juvenile correctional facility running and thriving.
- Educates the youths on the importance of recycling and how to do it correctly.
- Since budget cuts discontinued a weekly pickup, Carter takes time every week to gather and deliver the material to a recycling facility.
- Helps maintain the community garden.
What to be a contender for next year’s awards? More information on how to create and maintain a Kansas Green Team can be found at www.kansasgreenteams.org.
Tagged: KDHE, Kansas Green Team
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