PeaceJammer Wins National Contest

Suzi Warren, a Ponderosa PeaceJammer, recently was selected as the national winner of an environmental leadership contest.  The contest, Igniting Creative Energy sponsored by Johnson Controls, selected only one high school winner from the entire nation.  Not only did Suzi receive tremendous recognition for this award, but also received a trip to Washington D.C. to meet with other environmental leaders.  Suzi will be attending the University of Colorado at Boulder this fall and plans to continue her dedication to the environment and social change.  

Energy Management

Ponderosa PeaceJam’s environmental conservation work has not stopped at recycling.  Last year, we helped launch a school wide energy conservation program, working to lower the amount of energy consumed by our 248,000 square foot building.  PeaceJam worked with students and faculty to turn off classroom lights, shut down computers, and unplug unnecessary appliances and electronics.  Additionally, the PeaceJammers conducted energy audits not only in our building, but other schools across Douglas County as well, to identify strategies to conserve energy.  At Ponderosa, all the lamps were replaced with energy efficient CFLs and many florescent overhead lights have been completely removed, utilizing natural skylights instead.  In 2008, our diligent work gained Ponderosa the number one spot in Douglas County for energy reduction, earning the school 10,000 dollars.  Overall, we decreased our energy use by an enormous 13.8%.  Ponderosa is now so dedicated to preserving energy that it’s not uncommon to find even our Principal working in the dark.

Kenya

Our PeaceJam club’s environmental efforts have been so successful that in June of 2008, we were invited by Denver Sister Cities International to meet with the Mayor of Denver’s third sister city- Nairobi, Kenya.  Major Geoffrey Majiwa was led through Waste Management’s single stream recycling facility with Ponderosa’s PeaceJammers.  Coming from a city with no formal structures for waste disposal, let alone recycling, Mayor Majiwa was inspired to hear our ideas and successes on recycling, energy management, and youth and community involvement.  The Mayor was so impressed by our PeaceJam club that we have been invited to a private meeting with the Prime Minister of Kenya, the Honorable Raila Odinga, when he visits Colorado later this year. 

To keep our current connection with Kenya thriving, PeaceJam is currently working to buy seeds for Kenyan farmers.  Many areas of Kenya have been severely affected by climate change and tribal conflicts, leaving many farms unplanted or abandoned.  With a projected famin looming in the coming years, we are working to provide seeds to areas in need.  Our group recently began selling hand painted canvas sacks, not only supporting the seed project but also encouraging the use of reusable shopping bags.  So far, we have provided enough seed to plant over 20 acres of maize in Kenya. 

Recycling

Two years ago, our PeaceJam club aspired to begin a recycling program within the school.  Home to almost 2,000 students and faculty, Ponderosa filled over 5 trash dumpsters daily, adding greatly to the amount of garbage that is polluting our planet.  We began our program by placing recycling bins in every classroom, teaching students and faculty about recycling, and personally carrying out the recycling each week.  Today, the program is entirely self-sustaining and has gained the involvement of the entire community.  Every week, Ponderosa fills 9 double-sized recycling containers.  Overall, we have decreased the amount of trash at Ponderosa by over 70%.

Schools contain a plethora of recyclables that often get tossed in the trash.  To prevent this, PeaceJam has worked diligently to educate and encourage students to recycle.  Recycling the everyday materials from high school, including spare papers, cans, water bottles, old textbooks, junk mail, pizza boxes, art supplies, and out-of-date teaching materials can rapidly contribute to saving the Earth.  At year’s end students clean out their lockers with a recycling bin at hand, instead of dumping it all in the trash.  The community at Ponderosa has been so receptive to the efforts of PeaceJam that students go out of their way to recycle bits that others have left behind.  In fact, the PeaceJammers are so dedicated to recycling that it’s not uncommon to find us digging through the trash, ensuring that every last bit is recycled. 

 

The Gathering Place

Over the last several years, Ponderosa PeaceJam has established a close relationship with The Gathering Place, Denver’s only daytime center for women and children suffering from poverty or homelessness.  PeaceJammers have cooked several meals and facilitated multiple craft projects for women at The Gathering Place, including a project where women were able to decorate and take home canvas shopping bags.  Additionally, our PeaceJam group has organized over a dozen community drives for toiletries and nonperishable food items.  To do this, we go door to door in neighborhoods, leaving a brown paper bag for donations.  Generous community members leave their donations on their porch during a designated pick-up time and we diligently collect every bag.  To date, our group has collected over 5,000 pounds of donations for The Gathering Place.