Oakbrook School raising bar on going 'green'

It's going to be a lonely week at the copiers at Wood Dale's Oakbrook School.

Beginning this week, students and staff will attempt to "Go Green" and be more earth-friendly in every way possible, ranging from not using the copy machine to cutting down on the waste in both home-made and school-bought lunches.

And everyone will be wearing green all week.

"Recycling has been a district initiative for some time but this is aimed at getting the students involved," said Principal Shelly Skarzynski. "Second- and third-graders don't often have many clubs or activities open to them, so they're pretty excited to be involved in the effort to save the earth."

Throughout the week, students and teachers will be wearing green every day and reusing paper in their classrooms by using scrap boxes.

On Thursday "Science Alliance" will present a cultural arts program focused on the environment. And every Friday for the rest of the year, students will be asked to bring a waste-free lunch using reusable containers and cloth napkins.

Teachers, however, will have one of the tougher challenges of the week as they are asked to limit their use of the copy machines throughout the week and especially on Friday.

"It'll be tough, but we're pumped up about the entire program," said kindergarten teacher Donna Breckenfelder. "Even my kindergarten students are already insisting they recycle their assignments by turning the paper over."