Green Team

Annually, UPark’s composting program keeps about 15,000 pounds of organic materials out of landfills.

University Park’s Sustainability initiative is supported by the Denver Public Schools Sustainability Management Plan. The goal of the initiative is to reduce waste and use of energy through recycling, composting and reusing. The initiative is promoted school-wide as an everyday model of action. The initiative also receives support from Denver Recycles and Green Up Our Schools.

The primary areas of focus are “green” lunchroom practices and a Student Green Team that participates annual waste reduction projects. In 2024, the Green Team secured a grant that funded the replacement of playground trash cans with waste-sorting stations that have also helped reduce the trash produced by our school.

University Park Lunchroom Sustainability Expectations

Students are expected to be responsible for their own lunch clean up and to participate in our school’s green initiative. This includes:

• Cleaning table eating area and floor space
• Raising hands to request permission to be dismissed from the lunch table
• Carrying waste to the Waste Station
• Sorting waste into the three waste cans:
  • Green COMPOST (food scraps, napkins, paper wrappers, paper bags, etc.)
  • Purple RECYCLING (milk cartons, cardboard, foil, cans, bottles, plastic containers, etc.)
  • Black TRASH (plastic wrappers, Styrofoam, straws, juice bags, straws, plastic spoon, etc.)

Led by Volunteers

The UPark Green Team staff coordinators are first grade teachers Kari Hale and Mallory Gutierrez, and our parent coordinator is Ashton Reppert. All staff, students and community members are welcome and encouraged to participate. If interested in learning more about the UPark Green Team or becoming a Green Team volunteer, and please email uparkpta@gmail.com for more information.