best way to mitigate the climate crisis and help the Earth be a healthier planet is to educate others. To that end, the Bethel School District 52 is proud of and grateful for the Bethel Becomes Green(er) program, a grant-funded endeavor to boost sustainable awareness and reduce solid waste in our landfills.
 
Each of the 11 Bethel schools has a student Green Team, advised by staff members as Green Team Leaders, and includes students from grades 4-12.
 
In my role, I help the school teams work toward District-wide goals and their own site activities throughout the year.
 
On that note, Bethel School District is very proud to announce that for 2025’s Electronics Recycling Competition—coordinated by NextStep Recycling and Waste Wise Lane County—all 11 Bethel schools will be participating. In fact, Bethel schools will make up more than 20 percent of schools participating from across the county. We have high hopes that by sending a collective message that we care about the climate crisis and are committed to sharing that passion with our students and fostering its growth within our youth, we are galvanizing our students, families, staff, and stakeholders to do the same. 

From Jan. 7 to March 20, community members can participate by dropping off unwanted electronics at NextStep Recycling (245 Jackson St., Eugene) and giving credit to the school of their choice. Alternatively, each Bethel school will have a specific week to collect electronics at their individual sites. Those dates will be announced soon. Please feel encouraged to email [email protected] for more information.

But our work doesn’t just include e-waste recycling.

Other district-wide goals include all schools providing real flatware for students instead of colossally wasteful spork packets, composting both kitchen and student meal scraps, and reducing paper use. It is a goal for all schools to establish sorting stations to separate flatware, liquids, food solids, sauce packets, and recyclables, leaving very little remaining to go into the trash.

School site events include costume share fairs, garden activities, and coordinating visits from local organizations such as WREN and BRING into our classrooms to share their knowledge with our students.

Prairie Mountain’s Green Team will also host its annual shoe drive in February. This will be the sixth shoe drive, where all shoes are sent to developing countries to become an integral part of their economy and give shoes an extra life. Shoes can take 45-1000 years to decompose, so the message is clear: shoes do not belong in our landfills!

Here’s to a greener New Year!

About the author
Ellie Owens teaches science at Prairie Mountain School to 7^th and 8^th graders, as well as 8^th grade cooking. She is the PM Green Team Leader and coordinator for the Bethel Green Teams, helping the Green Team Leaders at each Bethel site bring a stronger awareness of sustainability and reach the goal of reducing solid waste in our landfills.