A team of Redmond High School (RHS) students were among winners in Waste Management’s first annual “cART” competition, in which they designed and decorated a recycling cart with environmental messages.

At RHS, “Go GREEN” is more than a mantra that stands for “Greater Redmond Environmental Education Network.”

As RHS seniors Nolan Thomas, James Brookman, Hilary Polis, Jeremy Dance and Trevor Miller explained in an essay submitted with their recycling cart, “Go GREEN is an entirely student-run program to educate Redmond High School and the surrounding community about environmental issues. Through this collection of student-driven programs such as composting, recycling, e-waste drives and carpooling initiatives, Redmond High School has greatly reduced its carbon footprint.”

Their “cART” creation featured papier-mache pasted onto the container, with slogans such as, “Bike to Work,” “Cook Up Some Compost,” and “Save Energy: Turn Me Off.” It will be displayed at Redmond City Hall, to inspire workers and visitors to join the crusade to keep Redmond clean and green.

The students received certificates of recognition and a $250 award that they’ll donate to the Sierra Student Coalition.

“They did a wonderful job with the entire project,” said Katie Salinas, community relations manager for Waste Management. “Their work communicated an extraordinary awareness of the importance of recycling and its benefit to the environment. It’s also very evident that they put a lot of time and energy into the project.”

In fact, the “Go GREEN” team at RHS has been active all year in educating peers and adults about the importance of recycling and composting. They created a series of bins to collect eligible materials such as food waste, paper plates, paper bags and boxes for composting; or plastic bottles with no caps, yogurt cartons and aluminum cans for recycling. During lunch periods, they monitored the bins and answered questions about how to use them. Students at RHS have become so well trained in the process that the bins no longer need to be attended, according to RHS environmental science teacher Mike Town.

The system this year has saved RHS about $3,000 as well as eliminating 12 tons of CO2 because of composting and 17 tons because of recycling.

And the “Go GREEN” team has taken their efforts to Redmond Junior High, Evergreen Junior High and some elementary schools. It’s hoped that younger kids will not only practice recycling and composting habits at school but encourage their families to do it at home.

“People don’t throw things in the trash because they want to,” Thomas noted. “It’s because they don’t know (how to recycle or compost). Now, even people who aren’t part of our group are going around saying, ‘Hey, don’t throw that in the trash.’ They’re telling others what to do or not to do.”

Nearly 100 students from throughout the Puget Sound region participated in this year’s “cART” contest and Waste Management would like to double that number next year. Other winning teams were from Issaquah Middle School, Inglewood Junior High in Sammamish and TAF Academy in Kent.