Contest Description: The Reuse Challenge rewards schools that create art pieces and school projects by creatively reusing the leftover materials in their communities.
Any NYC DOE teacher can set up their ZWS account online so they or their students can upload examples of their projects to the Zero Waste Schools website and showcase the creative ways that they are helping the environment.
Hashtag: #ReuseChallenge (Once you sign up for a contest, hashtag will auto-populate with every post).
Prizes: Top winners can receive T-shirts, other giveaways, and cash prizes for their school. (Charter and Private Schools cannot win cash prizes).
Contest Evaluation: Showcase the project-based learning and art projects your students create through the creative REUSE of leftover materials in your community. Schools that show exemplary REUSE practices will have a chance to be top winners in this competition.
Schools are evaluated on:
Contest Entry Submission
Contest questions (Teachers entering contest will be asked):
1. How have you involved your students in a wide variety of REUSE projects?
2. What are some examples of the variety of ways your students have creatively transformed REUSABLE materials into new things?
3. How have you utilized REUSE projects to support project-based learning and link to the classroom curriculum?
4. How have your students shared and advocated their REUSE practices with their school community?
5. What are some examples of how your students have learned about the impact and value of reuse in their school?
About Materials for the Arts (MFTA)
Materials for the Arts (MFTA) is New York City's premier creative reuse center, which provides NYC arts nonprofits, public schools and City agencies with access to free materials. They strive to keep these valuable items from entering the landfill and put them into the hands of arts professionals, educators, and students across the five boroughs.
Contest Description: Super Recyclers rewards excellent school recycling programs. Schools should post examples of individual efforts, school-wide efforts, successes, challenges, and unique solutions of their excellent recycling programs.
Finalists may be visited by staff to ensure that proper recycling set up has been maintained.
Hashtag: #SuperRecyclers (Once you sign up for a contest, hashtag will auto-populate with every post).
Prizes: Top winners can receive T-shirts, other giveaways, and cash prizes for their school. (Charter and Private Schools cannot win cash prizes).
Contest Evaluation: Schools are evaluated on:
Contest questions (Teachers entering contest will be asked):
1. Describe how your school has improved the collection and set out of different streams of waste & recycling for DSNY collection this year (for ex. Paper & Cardboard, Metal, Carton, Rigid Plastic, Glass, Organics items, and Trash/Landfill).
2. How has your school involved students, teachers, and other school members in the recycling process? (for ex. Green Teams, events, recycling monitors, via curriculum integration).
3. What has been the most important thing you have learned in the process? Include advice you’d give to other schools that are looking to make the same impact.
4. Describe how you measured the success of your efforts. Include charts or graphs if possible.
5. How do you plan on sustaining and building upon your successes in the coming year?
About GrowNYC Zero Waste Schools
GrowNYC Zero Waste Schools Program has helped NYC public schools create effective recycling programs since 2010. They work in partnership with the NYC Department of Education Office of Sustainability and the NYC Department of Sanitation to provide waste-related educational programming to all members of a school community including teachers, administrators, students, custodial and cafeteria staff.
Contest Description: The Zero Waste Schools Challenge is a brand new compliance and data-driven contest for the first 100 Zero Waste Schools (For more info on Zero Waste Schools, visit: www.nyc.gov/zerowasteschools).
Celebrating the roll out of the first 100 ZWS, winners will be selected from both ZWS routes (Manhattan and Brooklyn), based on School Scorecard Evaluations, successful school recycling and curbside set out, observations by DSNY/DOE/RCP staff, and school participation on the ZWS website.
Zero Waste Schools must have registered for an account on this website in order to be considered for DSNY’s Zero Waste Schools (ZWS) Challenge.
Hashtag: #ZWSChallenge
Prizes: Top winners can receive T-shirts, other giveaways, and cash prizes for their school. (Charter and Private Schools cannot win cash prizes).
Contest Evaluation: Finalists are selected based on the following criteria:
Contest Entry Submission
Contest questions (Teachers entering contest will be asked):
1. Describe assignments/activities/projects that you and your students did this year in working towards becoming a Zero Waste School.
2. How did students participate? Describe student efforts to plan, promote, and complete the project/s. Include pictures, videos, songs, etc of any projects that are reflective of students’ efforts on this project.
3. Student Response: Post a video or have your student(s) answer the following: How do you get other students to participate in efforts to go ZW? What advice would you give to other schools with similar populations who want to replicate your project?
4. How are your efforts supporting the city’s goal to go Zero Waste?
5. Before you implemented these projects, what was your school recycling program like? What changes and improvements were made?
About DSNY
The NYC Department of Sanitation (DSNY) promotes a healthy environment through efficient management of the City’s solid waste and environmentally sound long-range planning to handle New Yorkers recycling and garbage.
Contest Description: Celebrating student, staff, and community achievement toward making your school community a better place, the Commissioner's Cup is selected by the DSNY Commissioner’s Office, highlighting special efforts in sustainability.*
*Schools do not sign up for this contest, but must have a ZWS website account and must have contributed content to the ZWS website. Anyone who is registered on the ZWS website can recommend any DOE school for consideration for the Commissioner’s Cup (see instructions below).
Hashtag: #CommishCup (Hashtag will auto-populate with every post).
Prizes: Top winners can receive T-shirts, other giveaways, and cash prizes for their school. (Charter and Private Schools cannot win cash prizes).
Contest Evaluation: Winners will be schools that have achieved the following:
Contest Entry Submission:
About DSNY
The NYC Department of Sanitation (DSNY) promotes a healthy environment through efficient management of the City’s solid waste and environmentally sound long-range planning to handle New Yorkers recycling and garbage.
Contest Description: The Team Up to Clean Up contest rewards schools that conceive, design, and implement effective cleanup and beautification projects, including school gardens.
Hashtag: #TUTCU
Prizes: Top winners can receive T-shirts, other giveaways, and cash prizes for their school. (Charter and Private Schools cannot win cash prizes).
Contest Evaluation: Schools are evaluated on:
Contest questions (Teachers entering contest will be asked):
1. Describe the cleanup, beautification, and/or gardening project your school initiated. What were your objectives, and what was the planning and organization that drove this project?
2. How has your school involved students, teachers, and other school and/or community members in the project? (for ex. Green Teams, events, community organizations, parents and families, corporations, elected officials, etc.).
3. How has this project improved your school and/or community? Describe how you measured the success of your efforts.
4. What has been the most important thing you have learned in the process? Include advice you’d give to other schools that are looking to do a similar project.
5. How do you plan on sustaining and building upon your successes in the coming year?
About Team Up to Clean Up
The Team Up to Clean Up contest rewards schools that conceive, design, and implement effective cleanup and beautification projects, including school gardens.
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