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Past
Recycling Awards |
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In 2000, the following
individuals, schools, and institutions received
recognition for their outstanding recycling efforts
and contributions:
Notable
Citizen Volunteer - Aryt Alasti, 16 Chauncy
Street |
| Aryt
Alasti has gotten into the nitty gritty
of recycling. He extracts recyclables from
the garbage and garbage from the recyclables.
He takes on the laborious task of cutting
down cardboard into the appropriate size
for pick up, and cleaning out the well used
containers at his 53-unit building until
they break, at which point he makes sure
that they and any old trash barrels get
recycled. His pride and joy is a piece of
the property that he has transformed from
a wasteland into a beautifully landscaped
garden. Any yard waste produced in the course
of his work on the grounds, Aryt prepares
to be picked up for composting. It may surprise
you that Aryt has done all of this as a
volunteer. Only recently, did the building
management offer to compensate Aryt for
all the work he does on their property.
For 6 and a half years, Aryt performed this
work for nothing more than the knowledge
that in some small way he was making a difference
in his community.
Aryt Alasti had this to say
about receiving his award:
"Thank you very much. I'm happy that
with this event I'm able to 'pitch in' to
support the causes of both recycling and
volunteerism. As a renting occupant of my
building at 16 Chauncy Street, I've put
in many thousands of hours of effort over
the years in order to enhance our little
corner of civilization. We have a garden
landscape there now which is a great pleasure
to me, and which I know others in the neighborhood
very much enjoy. I feel that recycling,
since it conserves finite resources and
minimizes waste production elevates the
caliber of civilization. To participate
as a volunteer for that sort of activity
for me is a good example of how it's possible
to make greater things happen than would
otherwise occur by taking the initiative
to create a better reality where we can." |
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Outstanding
Individual - Freedom Baird, 53 Bristol Street |
When Freedom saw
that few other people were recycling in her
building, she took it upon herself to contact
the management company. Now, thanks to her
initiative and the company's responsiveness,
the recycling bins at 53 Bristol Street are
brimming with clean recyclables, instead of
trash. Freedom alone fills 2-3 bins per week,
estimating that at least 80% of her household
waste is recycled each week. Items like styrofoam
and plastic bags that the city does not accept
curbside, she faithfully takes to the recycling
drop-off center. She avoids disposable products
as a step to achieving zero waste, donates
unwanted furniture, appliances and household
items to those in need and favors enviro-friendly
cleaning products, and paper products made
from recycled material when shopping. Freedom
was honored for being an example to others,
a truly Outstanding Individual.
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Outstanding
City Building Laborer - George Bruno, Police
Headquarters |
| An informed and
committed custodial staff is a key component
to any successful office recycling program.
After a day of sorting trash at the office
we put our faith in our laboring staff to
ensure that the material ends up in the right
place. Here in the city we are lucky to have
conscientious employees like George Bruno.
You can find George at Police Headquarters,
emptying the bins at each desk and bringing
the barrels out to the curb for collection
every week, occasionally you may see him reminding
the staff at Police Headquarters about what
does and does not go into the recycling bins.
George understands the recycling program and
is committed to doing all that he can to run
it efficiently and effectively. |
Commercial
Building Manager- Scott Sandberg , Radcliffe
Institute for Advanced Study
|
| Scott Sandberg
is a first class recycling hero. His campaign
to educate and inform Radcliffe employees
about the value of recycling and reducing
their waste has led Radcliffe to a 60% recycling
rate. To emphasize how much can be recycled
and how little employees need to throw away
, Scott took away the old 16 quart waste basket
and replaced it with a 16 quart recycling
bin with a 4 quart hang on trash basket. This
fall, under Scott's guidance the Cronkite
Dining Room began recovering nearly 100 pounds
of food waste per day for composting. Custodians
at Radcliffe use a concentrated cleaning solution
to refill their spray bottles, reducing packaging
waste. Copy paper at Radcliffe is all 100%
post-consumer recycled fiber. Scott does an
excellent job as part of the across Harvard
effort to "Green the Crimson." |
Private School-Fayerweather
Street School |
The recycling program
at the Fayerweather Street School began as
the next logical step to a scientific study
that a group of fifth and six grade students
performed about how much and what kind of
trash was being generated at the Fayerweather.
In 1993, Ms. Kutt helped her seventh and eighth
grade students initiate and then troubleshoot
their recycling plan. This included educating
the school community, procuring the necessary
bins and setting the program up to handle
the turn-over in the student and faculty population.
Thanks to their efforts, now 7 years later
the program continues to flourish.
Here is an excerpt from the nomination form
that really captures the enthusiasm that recycling
has generated at the Fayerweather Street School:
"The recycling program is run entirely
by the seventh and eight graders. There are
four students in charge of picking up and
sorting each week on a rotating basis. On
a rotating basis, the pre-schoolers join with
the "big guys" to do the school
recycling twice a week. The pre-schoolers
tell us that it is the highlight of their
week. Not only do they get to be with the
big kids, but they get to jump up and down
in the paper bin to flatten the paper, ride
in the paper bin down the corridors, sort
through the classroom bins and separate items.
They learn a great deal about the process
of recycling materials for the planet. You
would have to see this collaboration first
hand in order to fully appreciate the shared
joy of learning and serving the community."
Principal Susan Kluver, Ms. Phyllis Kutt,
Ms. Sarah Chambliss, Ms. Megan Thomas, Samantha
Quest-Neubert, Gabe Billings, Max Cohen, Neil
Gaynor, Konrad Hedderick, Pingwang Jin, Matthew
Lee, Khaalid Parham, Ethan Rogers, Nadja Shannon-Dabeck,
Ariel Swift, Sophia Wedeen and Henry Whinney
accepted the award on behalf of the Fayerweather
Street School.
|
Public School
with Most Improved Recycling Program- Kennedy
School |
At the Kennedy
School, the sixth grade has taken control
of the paper recycling program. At the beginning
of this school year the sixth grade teachers
at the Kennedy School notified the City’s
recycling program that they would like to
restart their recycling program. Rick Leandro
presented the do’s and dont’s
of the City’s paper recycling program
to all the sixth graders in the auditorium.
The students, with the direction of their
teachers, have educated the younger students
and teachers about what, when, where and why
to recycle. They have increased their recycling
rate almost 300% in the year 2000 alone. The
kitchen staff at the Kennedy School recycles
all of their cardboard and #10 metal cans
and the custodial staff flattens and recycles
all of the cardboard generated throughout
the rest of the school. Each week the custodial
staff brings the recycling bins to the curb
for pick-up by the City's recycling haulers.
The Kennedy School has made recycling an award
winning, total school, team effort! Sarah
Novogrodsky accepted the award for Most Improved
Recycling Program on behalf of the Kennedy
School.
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Public School
with Highest per Student Recycling Rate-
Longfellow School |
Since receiving
their recycling award in 1995 the Longfellow
School has maintained a quality recycling
program, serving as an example of what can
be accomplished in Cambridge Public Schools
City-wide. The Longfellow School has the highest
per student recycling rate in the public school
system, recycling 31% more per student than
the second best school. They reuse paper for
faxes, scrap paper and scratchpads. The kitchen
staff diligently trains students each year
how to recycle their styrofoam trays. They
even go so far as to stack the trays, which
greatly reduces the number of plastic bags
used to store the styrofoam. The custodial
staff flattens all the cardboard generated.
They also cooperate with the eighth graders
in their effort to empty all the paper recycling
bins and place them at the curb for pickup.
When other schools ask how the Longfellow
School can recycle so much of their waste
they answer: Recycling is the way they dispose
of their waste. NOBODY throws away paper or
cardboard. Mr. Jim Hutchinson and his students,
Joseph Catanzano and Francisco Guevara accepted
the award on behalf of the Longfellow School.
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Teaching Award
for Innovative Use of Recycling Curricula-
Kennedy School- Amigos Program
|
Teachers at the
Kennedy School's Amigos Program have come
up with creative ways for their students to
re-use everything from styrofoam peanuts to
paper towel rolls. When these students look
around at their world, instead of seeing waste,
they now see the potential for ordinary household
recyclables to become beautiful works of art.
Outside the Sullivan Chamber, the children's
recycled artwork was showcased, a symbol of
the powerful role of creativity in solving
our solid waste problems. To spread the joy
of recycling even further, a manual describing
the steps necessary to start a recycling center
and a list of recycled art activities will
be produced in the near future. We look forward
to seeing more groups incorporating recycling
into their curriculum as the Amigos program
has done, making recycling a fun, imaginative
and integral part of their art and everyday
activities. Brigida Jimenez and Clarissa Guzman
accepted the Award for Innovative use of recycling
curricula on behalf of the Amigos program.
|
Impressive
Large Residential Building- Worthington
Place, 195 Binney Place |
The management
at Worthington place gets their tenants started
out on the right foot, by giving them welcome
packets that explain where trash rooms are
and how to recycle. To make the program even
more convenient for residents, the building
contracts with a separate company to recycle
cardboard. Carlos Morales, who works maintenance
for the 187 unit building, has adopted the
recycling program. His concern for the success
of the program is evidenced in his actions:
Carlos has created attractive signs to go
above the recycling bins, to guide residents
to the appropriate container; each week, after
inspecting the contents of the toters to correct
any mistakes, Carlos will give a "how
to recycle" sheet to tenants who he suspects
may be confused about how and what to recycle.
His focus on recycling extends to the purchasing
he does for the building where he makes it
a point to specify recycled content products
whenever possible. Carlos Morales accepted
the award for Impressive Large Residential
Building on behalf of Worthington Place.
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Impressive
Large Residential Building- Cambridge Cohousing
|
| If there is something
that can be done to live the ideal of environmental
sustainability, Cambridge Co-housing is probably
doing it. Recycling, composting, using non-toxic
cleaning products, designing and employing
energy efficient systems, and building their
very homes with recycled materials- the Cambridge
Co-housing community does all of this and
more. Cambridge Co-housing also shares resources,
internally and with the community at large.
On some days you will see people visiting
the walkway at 175 Richdale to pick up their
share of community supported agriculture produce,
on other days you will find local groups meeting
in their communal dining room or you may see
a group of people touring the facility. Tours
are scheduled and open to the public, I can
promise that those of you who choose to visit
will leave feeling nothing less than inspired.
Accepting the award for Impressive Large Residential
Building is Rowena Conkling, Head of the Gardening
Committee at Cambridge Cohousing and Dick
Tonachel, Chair of the Live Lightly Please
Committee. |
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