Volunteers spruce up Oceanside High School as part of 2nd Annual Green Apple Day of Service
San Diego, October 8, 2013 /3BL Media/ -- The San Diego Green Building Council (SDGBC) and Balfour Beatty Construction partnered with the Oceanside Unified School District (OUSD) to host the 2nd Annual Green Apple Day of Service at Oceanside High School on Saturday, September 28. The event is part of the U.S. Green Building Council Green Apple Day of Service movement happening on the same day at schools around the world.
Over 50 volunteers and 20 teachers came out to “green” the campus by performing service work, and learning how to integrate sustainability topics into the classroom at Oceanside High School.
Activities at Oceanside High School included beautification and improvement projects as well as a teacher workshop, Introduction to Green Schools, for K-12 faculty and administrators to learn how to make their classroom more eco-friendly. Teachers also received a scholarship to become a Certified Green Classroom Professional, a national credential created by U.S. Green Building Council.
Balfour Beatty Construction led the efforts to recruit volunteers, obtain sponsors and in-kind donations, and manage the improvement projects. The SDGBC led the development of the interactive workshop, which included a site safari, recruited volunteer instructors, and performed outreach to teachers throughout the county.
“Every opportunity for professional growth focusing on what we call S.T.E.M – science technology, engineering and math, is beneficial for our teachers,” said OUSD superintendent Larry Perondi. “Plus, the power of volunteerism in helping to beautify our campuses only strengthens the district’s relationship with the Oceanside community.”
A wide range of much needed repairs to the 107 year-old campus located in downtown Oceanside were performed by Balfour Beatty Construction and SDGBC employees and volunteers, event partners and sponsors, and their family members including:
o Upgrading landscaping around the perimeter of the campus including new Bougainvillea plants and mulching
o Installing and upgrading irrigation
o Clean-up and refurbishing of the tennis court areas and fields
o Repainting the main campus perimeter wall
“The work performed by dedicated volunteers and donors significantly improved the Oceanside High School campus and the surrounding neighborhood,” said Sean Hulen, vice president of Balfour Beatty Construction in Southern California. “I’m proud to be part this joint effort that transformed a 107-year old school by making it greener, and demonstrates that sustainability is our collective responsibility.”
“We are pleased to be able to partner with so many volunteers and organizations for the Green Apple Day of Service,” added Douglas Kot, executive director of the SDGBC. “This effort is about community coming together to make the places we care about better.”
Many additional sponsors helped make this year’s Green Apple Day of Service a success including Brady SoCal, Inc., Morrow-Meadows Corporation, Burkett & Wong Engineers, SCOR Industries, Dynalectric, Agriservice, Gould Electric, Simmons & Wood Inc., Dunn-Edwards Paints, Sunbelt Rentals, Abbott Engineering, Hayward Baker, Arrowhead, Mission Valley Landscape, Atlas Mechanical, Pacific Coast Glazing, Inc., Baker Electric Inc., Standard Drywall, Inc., Breakwater Brewing Co., Einstein Bros Bagels, Program Management Group, American Sheet Metal, Larabar, Think Blue San Diego, Gobie H20, Staples, Waxie Sanitary Supply, California Center for Sustainable Energy, Chris Giles Images, and the U.S. Green Building Council.
