The green committee at the Huntingdon Adult Education and Community Centre (HAECC) is the proud owner of a brand-new recycling station, care of Studio Tolhurst and their partnership with the Genie in a Bottle organization.
The new sorting equipment is located in the front entrance to the school, and teacher and green committee member Marie Claire Charlebois says students and staff have been bringing their recyclable materials to the centre on a daily basis. The material is then sorted by the students in the Social Integration Services (SIS) program so it can be properly recycled by Genie in a Bottle.
Charlebois says they have been working toward opening the recycling station for over a year and a half. “The students are excited by the recycling, by organizing, and by counting bags,” she explains. “Sorting is a big part of the program, to be able to count, so this reaches many objectives,” she adds, noting the new station is about a lot more than recycling.
“I am not sure they understand the impact, but they enjoy the task and being part of a project,” says Charlebois. “For us, the recycling station is a big step forward. It makes it more real.”
The school has already held several recycling events in partnership with Genie in a Bottle this year. The latest took place on October 30, when HAECC students and members of Melissa’s Sunshine Camp spent the day sorting 14,400 plastic bottles so they could be recycled responsibly. A total of 72 bags of bottles were processed.
Charlebois says that over the last month, two students have also been working at the Genie in a Bottle depot in Godmanchester once a week to help sort and work at other tasks.
The Green Committee’s efforts to spark a culture of sustainability within the school have caught on, says Charlebois. “It has become a culture within the school!” she exclaims. Their work is also influencing other institutions, such as the Chateauguay Valley Career Education Centre in Ormstown, which now has a green committee of its own.
Charlebois says a goal for the future is to invite the community to bring material to the centre as well. In the meantime, visitors can appreciate the creative work being done by SIS students with some of the recycled and repurposed materials they sort.
The Boutique TO.US, which is stocked entirely by students, will be open throughout the month of December. “The students have been very busy. They are always proud of their creations,” Charlebois added.
The students and their creations will also be at the Dundee Christmas Sale on November 29 and 30.