Working Together to Build Sustainable Communities

The theme of the 2015 Symposium for Environment and Education was “Working Together to Build Sustainable Communities” where participating partner schools were asked to become active environmental stewards by exploring their community’s current environmental practices.

At the start of the school year, partnering student teams were asked to assess the sustainability efforts of their local town, schools and residents, identifying areas that could be enhanced. Student teams then took action to implement one or more of its recommendations, measuring success at the conclusion. This included engaging the regional community in large-scale events and garnering support and involvement.

Once the assessments were completed, student teams were asked to make two recommendations for improvement. Of those recommendations, student teams then took on one sustainability project of their own, setting realistic objectives and outcomes for the project that could be measured over time.

In 2015, the Wheelabrator Symposium generated dozens of news stories that shed light on all of the hard work and dedication the participating student teams displayed. Take a look at some of the articles that were published about all of the great work our Symposium partner schools are doing in their communities:

Hollywood Students' Green Education 

Morrisville Teacher’s Passion for Environment is Rewarded

Peekskill MS Students Enhance Community Sustainability

Peekskill Middle School Students Enhancing Community Sustainability through Wheelabrator Symposium

Wheelabrator Technologies Inc. hosts 21st annual Environmental Symposium

Peekskill Students Present Sustainability Project in Maryland

Morrisville Kids Get Recognized for Environmental Work

The 2015 Symposium was held in Columbia, Maryland, where students teams presented their findings to edcuators, government officials and communitiy partners.

Following are the 2015 participating schools: 

Northeast Region:

Millbury Memorial Jr./Sr. High School, Millbury, Massachusetts

Peekskill Middle School, Peekskill, New York

Mid-Atlantic Region:

FDR Middle School, Bristol, Pennsylvania

Friendship Preparatory School at Calverton, Baltimore, Maryland

Morrisville Intermediate School, Morrisville, Pennsylvania

West Deptford Middle School, West Deptford, New Jersey

W.E. Waters Middle School, Portsmouth, Virginia

Florida Region:

Lawton Chiles Middle Academy, Lakeland, Florida

McNicol Middle School, Hollywood, Florida

New River Middle School, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

Sawgrass Springs Middle School, Coral Springs, Florida

Westglades Middle School, Parkland, Florida