THOUSAND OAKS : 2 Grade Schools to Be Honored for Recycling

The students at Meadows and Walnut elementary schools in Thousand Oaks have been nickel-and-diming their way to a cleaner environment all year. And next Tuesday, they’ll receive recognition for their efforts at a presentation honoring the city’s WasteWatch Award winners.

Students at the two schools have racked up quite a recycling resume over the past few years.

By recycling plastic bottles and aluminum cans, Meadows students have raised enough money to protect 36 acres of a Brazilian rain forest from destruction. They bought the land at $10 an acre through the Rain Forest Network in San Francisco, which turns the rain forest over to native inhabitants to be preserved.

The students have also donated $250 to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and are planning to plant a grove of trees on their school’s campus this spring, said Carole Bultema, a parent who coordinates the conservation efforts.

At Walnut Elementary, students are so conscientious about recycling paper that they rummage through garbage cans to catch errant scraps, said parent coordinator Ellen Friedman.

“They have taken it on with great gusto,” she said. “If we start recycling now, it will be part of their lives.”

The WasteWatch Awards also honored area businesses for exceptional conservation efforts.

Los Robles Regional Medical Center won for its recycling program, as did the Tri-Valley Environmental Committee, which sponsored Earth Day activities and tries to boost public awareness of conservation issues.

Sherwood Medical, a business that recycles plastics used in hospitals, received honors for its waste reduction program. Interior Office Systems, which promotes waste reduction in the architectural and business community, also won an award for re-use. And Mrs. Gooch’s Natural Foods Market took a prize for buying recycled goods.