HB-5554, As Passed House, March 23, 2006
January 18, 2006, Introduced by Reps. Hune, Gaffney and Mortimer and referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, Great Lakes, Land Use, and Environment.
A bill to amend 1994 PA 451, entitled
"Natural resources and environmental protection act,"
(MCL 324.101 to 324.90106) by adding section 2511.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:
Sec. 2511. (1) A public or private school in this state may
apply to be designated as a "green school" by submitting an
application to the entity designated under subsection (2) by the
county in which the school is located. A school is eligible to
receive a designation under this section if the school meets 10 of
the following criteria:
(a) The school recycles paper.
(b) The school reuses its magazines and newspapers for other
projects.
(c) The school has adopted an endangered species animal from 1
of several organizations and posted a picture of the animal in a
main traffic area.
(d) The school media center updates it print and nonprint
ecological materials regularly.
(e) An energy savings program has been instituted at the
school.
(f) Students at the school participate in a planned program of
energy savings, including dusting coils on cafeteria refrigerators,
placing film on windows, setting hot water heaters 1 degree lower,
seeing how plants and trees strategically placed can save energy
for the school, and checking proper inflation on bus tires and
other school vehicles once a month.
(g) The school has hosted a visit by an ecological
spokesperson, a representative of the sierra club, an endangered
animals species show, or a similar presentation.
(h) The school has a birdhouse habitat project.
(i) The school has established a natural Michigan garden
project with native plants.
(j) The school has solar power presentations or experiments,
such as a solar cookout.
(k) Classes do energy audits of their classrooms and make
improvements, such as placing film on windows, caulking windows, or
using kits to make windows more energy efficient.
(l) The school has a printer cartridge recycling program
through which the school earns money by selling the cartridges to 1
or more companies that buy cartridges from schools.
(m) The school recycles batteries and has designated a
representative to return them to an appropriate recycling program.
(n) The school recycles cellular telephones and receives money
for the telephones from recycling companies that work with schools.
(o) The school observes earth day in some way in April.
(p) Art classes at the school have a poster contest to support
ecology concerns and a schoolwide display in conjunction with earth
day activities.
(q) The school has science class projects in which students do
several home energy improvements, such as turn down hot water
heaters, install home window insulation kits, clean coils on home
refrigerators, and install draft guards for doors.
(r) The school has an ecology club, whose activities include
such activities as helping senior citizens make their homes more
energy efficient, putting in new furnace filters, caulking windows,
cleaning refrigerator coils in homes, and setting water heaters 1
degree lower.
(s) The school's classes visit internet sites where clicking
saves rainforest habitat and teachers document the students'
efforts.
(t) The school sets a goal of 5% less energy usage in the
school and works with local power utilities to see progress toward
the goal.
(2) A county shall designate a department of the county or the
intermediate school district of the county to accept and consider
the approval of an application under subsection (1).