Act No. 146

Public Acts of 2006

Approved by the Governor

May 21, 2006

Filed with the Secretary of State

May 22, 2006

EFFECTIVE DATE: May 22, 2006

STATE OF MICHIGAN

93RD LEGISLATURE

REGULAR SESSION OF 2006

Introduced by Reps. Hune, Gaffney and Mortimer

ENROLLED HOUSE BILL No. 5554

AN ACT to amend 1994 PA 451, entitled "An act to protect the environment and natural resources of the state; to codify, revise, consolidate, and classify laws relating to the environment and natural resources of the state; to regulate the discharge of certain substances into the environment; to regulate the use of certain lands, waters, and other natural resources of the state; to prescribe the powers and duties of certain state and local agencies and officials; to provide for certain charges, fees, assessments, and donations; to provide certain appropriations; to prescribe penalties and provide remedies; and to repeal acts and parts of acts," (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 its 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).

This act is ordered to take immediate effect.

Clerk of the House of Representatives

Secretary of the Senate

Approved

Governor