GW Green Team Projects
The George Washington Middle School Green Team’s purpose is to educate, empower, and inspire students, staff and our community to establish and promote environmentally sustainable practices within our school, town, and at home. We strive to educate the students about the importance of our role and its effect within the entire global community. We will aim to support students in becoming leaders who will make our community a healthier, more sustainable place for future generations.
01
Community Clean-up
On Sunday 12/12, the GWMS Green Team Club met to clean-up trash on and around Veterans Field, Graydon Park, Stevens Field, Maple Field, and Ridgewood High School. The volunteers picked-up seventy pounds of trash and over one hundred plastic bottles that will now be recycled. The group also found $25 in cash that will go towards seed money to purchase reusable water bottles for GWMS students. The GWMS Green Team Club meets regularly to participate in a variety of activities to increase awareness about and improve our local environment.​
02
Treehabilitation
On WEDNESDAY 12/15 @ 3PM the Green Team Club hosted a 1-hour Community Service Project at GWMS. Students rehabilitated the trees on the GWMS campus. Previous week, volunteers pulled back mulch from around the trees and realized they must do more work to help the trees thrive. Our group used garden trowels, gloves, and garden shears to excavate soil from around each tree outside GWMS. They cut the roots that are growing the wrong way (up), and relocated the excess soil in buckets. This was done in conjunction with ecologist Jean Epiphan.​
03
USA Again
The asst Principal Mr. Monahan completed the process of registering GWMS for USAgain. GWMS will have a collection bin delivered to GWMS (it will go in the parking lot) where we can have students, faculty, and families bring in shoes/clothes for USAgain. The Green Team Club will receive payment per pound on collected items; plus USAgain will plant trees on behalf of the Green Team Club each time the bin is filled.​
04
Styrofoam Collection Drive
In October, GW students participated in the Styrofoam Collection Drive.
05
America Recycles Day
In Nov 2021, the Green Team Club signed up for the America Recycles Day Challenge to collect used clothing for recycling. Once the bins arrived, the Green Team Club made announcements to encourage donations to the bins.
06
Composting using Food Waste
In Feb 2022, GW Green Team Club started a school wide composting initiative. They modeled it after the RHS Green Team Club's version which focuses on composting food waste from the Pomptonian Food Service in the cafeteria. There are already two compost bins in the Faculty Parking lot facing south so the student volunteers carry the waste from the cafeteria to the bins after school everyday
07
Drug Awareness Tulips
This year the GW Green Team participated in a Drug Awareness Tulip planting event at the Community Center near the Ridgewood Public Library. The Red Tulips were planted in Red Ribbon Week which is an alcohol, tobacco and other drug and violence prevention awareness campaign observed annually in October. These tulips were also blooming for Alcohol Awareness month
08
Shoe Drive
The GWMS Green Team Club lead a Shoe Drive March 14-28. The club will receive $100 from USAgain for participating. All students have to do is collect, bag, and drop-off in the USAgain donation bin (located in the faculty parking lot at GWMS.) The Shoe Drive was offered to all 7th and 8th graders as a Community Service opportunity as well. Students may accumulate Community Service hours by going door-door in Ridgewood to collect gently used shoes or spend time collecting used shoes at home, too.
