Christie Garcia

Our Eco Hero of the month is Christie Garcia of Pinewood Elementary School. She is called the "supreme, green, teaching machine" by her colleagues. Because of her commitment to the environment and the well-being and eco-conscious growth of her children, this term is well-deserved. Mrs. Garcia was nominated by Principal Karla Gary-Orange who stated that "Where everyone looks, one can see examples of Mrs. Garcia's efforts to promote a green and healthy culture".

Mrs. Garcia’s students take reading and spelling test on the same paper. Every effort is made not to utilize paper. The students apply their learning on dry erase boards at their desks. Because her class is in a portable classroom, she is able to upen her blinds using natural energy for lighting and air control. Weather permitting, she often holds classes outdoors. After students are dismissed, she works at her desk with a desk lamp to save energy.

During lunch and snack time, Mrs. Garcia gives extra commendations to those who bring their food and water in reusable container. Naturally, she sets the example by doing so herself. Students who bring their food or drinks in plastic containers utilize the recycle bins in the class. For those students who do not have recycling capabilities at home, Mrs. Garcia promotes her passion for recycling by collecting the students' recyclable items and bringing them to her own recycle bins at home. Snacks provided by Mrs. Garcia to her students are often organic pretzels, apples and carrots.

Mrs. Garcia's class collects broken pieces of crayons from the entire school and donates them to Dave's Crayon Workshop in Ocala, Florida. There they get sorted, melted and reshaped into new crayons. For her efforts, Mrs. Garcia's class won third place in teh NBC Greener Future Contest.

A BIG congratulations goes out to Mrs. Christie Garcia! Thanks for all that you are doing to help reduce the carbon footprint and make BCPS a greener environment!