Twenty-seven Kansas schools were awarded Green Schools grants from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s Bureau of Waste Management, with awards ranging from $600 to $4,500. The Learning Center of USD 489 earned $1,100 dollars for their recycling containers and a field trip for next school year. The grants this year totaled over $82 Thousand dollars.

These grants will fund projects to take place during the 2013–2014 school year and will result in activities like purchasing recycling bins, starting compost programs for cafeteria waste and taking field trips to community recycling centers. This marks the sixth round of Waste Management Green Schools grants, which are funded by a $1 per ton state landfill fee.

“These grants to schools not only have the direct benefits of conserving landfill space, natural resources and energy, they teach students lessons that can be practiced at home and for a lifetime,” said Robert Moser, M.D., KDHE Secretary and State Health Officer.