CRRA2019

Environmental Officer

Colleen has been with the City of Oceanside since 2007 and leads the City Solid Waste and Recycling program, Green Oceanside and Zero Waste initiatives.  In 2017 she received Waste 360's Top 40 under 40 award for her achievements in shaping the future of sustainability, zero waste and resource management.

Oceanside USD, in partnership with the City of Oceanside, has been on the Road to Zero Waste since 2012.  In fact, OUSD became the first school district in the nation to formally commit to a goal of Zero Waste with the adoption of the OUSD Zero Waste Resolution in 2014.  The City of Oceanside sponsored Zero Waste Initiative provides education, infrastructure, and support, and is implemented at a campus over a one-semester period.  The OUSD Zero Waste Initiative provides multiple benefits to the school district, including providing hands-on learning experiences that emphasize environmental stewardship and literacy that extend to the classroom. Through the ongoing strategic implementation of the OUSD Zero Waste Initiative the 23 schools throughout OUSD are well on their way to reaching the goal of 75% by 2020.

Chef

Oceanside USD has a diverse student population with enrollment of over 18,000 students and 23 school campuses. The primary job of Nutrition Services is to ensure that students receive healthy meals but more and more Nutrition Services Departments are playing a role in reducing food and packaging waste both in preparation and serving meals. 

Janis Jones is a teacher on special assignment at an elementary school in Oceanside, California. She has been the Green Team coordinator at her site since 2013, and she has been involved in Green Oceanside’s Zero Waste Schools program for the past five years. She is passionate about empowering students to become involved in environmental leadership activities, including speaking at Oceanside City Council meetings in order to raise awareness about plastic pollution and to advocate for policies that will reduce the distribution of single-use plastic foodware items in Oceanside.

Learn the ins and outs of what it takes to run a successful Zero Waste Schools program from a  teacher leader’s point of view. Strategies for coordinating successful school-based Green Team programs and ideas for inspiring students to take on leadership roles both at their schools and in their communities will be shared.

Student

When I was nine years old I was completing a Girl Scout project. It needed to be something to help my community. I recycled at home and noticed that when I went to the beach, there was no place to put my recycling. I presented an idea to put recycling at the beach to my troop, and we move forward into a conversation with city leaders (specifically Colleen Foster). I didn’t realize at the time that I would continue pursuing conservation as a career. I am currently studying marine conservation and plan to use my degree to spread awareness in our communities. It has grown from being a passion of mine to now an obsession, to help make our planet a greener and healthier place for all.

Schools

School Recycling: How to Convince a School District to Get On Board

The big question when approaching a school district about recycling is who do I talk to first? The superintendent, the principal or the facilities director? It might even be the school teachers or students adding recycling curriculum. All of these individuals have the power to either encourage a school recycling program or prevent it from happening. Though there is legislation to compel a school district to recycle, this legislation doesn't really have any penalties if a school district chooses not to recycle. So, how do we convince a district it is in their best interest and the best interest of their students if they recycle?

Founder and CEO

Jill Buck is the founder and CEO of the Go Green Initative.  Founded in 2002 the Go Green Initiative is a grassroots environmental program that unites parents, teachers and students to create a culture of conservation on campus. The program involves students at every level and takes a comprehensive approach to help schools evaluate every aspect of their environmental impact. It provides schools simple options and tools to examine everything from recycling to energy conservation.