Go Green5! CCUSD and Sustainability

Hello Farragut Parents,

My name is Kathleen McKernin and I am the parent of a Farragut student and secretary of the Environmental Sustainability Advisory Committee to Culver City Unified School District.

At the last PTA/Booster club/CCEF Coffee and Chat, we introduced the new Green5 awareness campaign on which the sustainability committee is working. CCUSD Superintendent, Patti Jaffe, suggested that the Green5 logo be integrated into school "spirit wear" along with other items that are distributed at your individual schools.

In response, we created an oval shaped logo. On a second front, we are working on how to distribute re-usable water bottles with school branding and the Green5 logo. We are still taking suggestions and input from the community, so if you have an idea, please let us know. Our chair, Todd Johnson, can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Please note that this logo with quick reference code (pictured above) will be customized for your school's specific applications (i.e. sport uniforms, shirts, banners, etc). At the moment, the quick reference code link points to our Green5 Facebook page. But, in the near future will link to a dedicated site. This site will provide a breakdown of the 5 core easy steps that everyone can do at school or at home to be more sustainable. Our committee collaborated with the ROP (Regional Occupational Program) at the high school; a student, Justin Harris, created the logo design, and is working on designing the posters, too. Below are the Green5 easy steps toward sustainability along with information about the environmental impacts. If you would like to provide any suggestions or share your thoughts, we will welcome any comments provided!

Green5

Five things YOU can do to make CCUSD more sustainable

1. Let the Sunshine In!

Raise shades/turn off lights

Many schools have huge windows well positioned so that direct sun does not come in, but are closed with the lights on during the day. Studies have shown kids learn better under natural light - why not give it a try?

2. Unplug It!

Remove or unplug coffee pots/microwaves/ mini fridges

Some classes definitely need to have a refrigerator, but keep any eye out for an opportunity to share! A typical new mini fridge uses 64.8 kWh per month, with proper venting they cost about $12- $29 per month. That is $108 to $261 over 9 months for just one mini-fridge! Is there a coffee pot that is keeping some old coffee warm from the morning that no one is going to drink anyway? Keep any eye out for anything warm or flashing when it is not actually in use and unplug it!

3. Too Hot? Too Cold? Just Right!

No heat/ AC on with the doors/ windows open.

Sometimes people are coming in and out of a room with heat or air conditioning turned on, and a door or window gets left open. Lets remind each other to keep an eye out this easy money saving and climate saving opportunity.

4. B.Y.O.B. (Bring Your Own Bottle)!

Use non-disposable water bottles

The district reportedly consumes 360,000 disposable plastic water bottles per year, not including the ones kids bring from home, or that groups purchase for events. By using a refillable, reusable bottle you will cut down on trash and plastic, but it also saves money!

5. REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE and RETHINK!

What is recyclable? What is trash? Reduce the amount of trash going to landfill.

Do you know what is recyclable at your school, in the cafeteria, in the classroom, at home? We are working on standardizing throughout the schools, but in the mean time, everyone can recycle clean white paper as well and bottles and cans.

Be an EcoManiac (It's not all about me - it's about my planet!)

If you have questions or ideas, post them on out our Facebook page! (search for Culver City Sustainable schools)

Thank you,
Kathleen McKernin
Environmental Sustainability Committee
Culver City Unified School District