Wildlife Photograph

Earth Flag increases recycling awareness

Saturday October 25, 2008
Program reduces solid waste at local landfills

By Paul James

Ijams' Earth Flag Program, a community-wide solid waste reduction and environmental education initiative, is off to another cracking year. Currently, much of the program's impact is centered within the Knox County school system where students reduce, re-use and recycle paper, plastic and cans. During lunch breaks, students also compost food scraps which otherwise would end up in the trash and subsequently swell area landfills.

Started as a pilot program in 1994 in only three schools, Earth Flag has grown over the years and is now active in about 80 area schools. Twenty-four schools are assisted by a committed team of six AmeriCorps members that employs a structured curriculum in participating classrooms as well as helping "re-leaf" school grounds, creating green outdoor classrooms. This year's team (see October newsletter) is currently hard at work conducting waste-audits that will help gauge impacts later in the school year.

Beyond working with the schools through students, teachers and parents, Earth Flag is beginning to create a wider impact throughout the community. In October, Earth Flag Coordinator Sabrina DeVault and the Earth Flag team worked with Knoxville's Race for the Cure to make it a waste-free event involving 11,000 people, practically filling an extra large recycling dumpster with recyclable plastic and cardboard.

Earth Flag is also available for consultations to help businesses, neighborhood groups and churches create recycling programs or even earn an Earth Flag themselves.

If you would like more information about Earth Flag, recycling or other ways to reduce solid waste, please contact Sabrina at sabrina@ijams.org.

Special thanks to Knox County Solid Waste for sponsoring the Earth Flag Program.

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