It's not too late for spring cleaning

Reuse and recycling initiatives are more of what Blair needs to make the school greener and more resource efficient. To contribute, specialist Andrea Lamphier has begun a series of improvement projects Wednesday for the school's media center. The most impactful of these has been a used book drive for Advanced Placement (AP) courses, which is being repeated from previous years, and a recycling project for used ink cartridges, which is currently in the works.

With the Advanced Placement testing season coming to an end, Lamphier asks students to donate their used test-preparation books for the school's continued shared use. "It is an annual tradition where students bring gently used AP guides,” she said. So far, the donation turn-out has been encouraging. "We've already received eight or nine,” Lamphier said.

AP Review Books

Photo: Students have donated eight or nine Advanced Placement test-preparation books to the Media Center's donation box.​

Students have donated eight or nine Advanced Placement test-preparation books to the Media Center's donation box.​ Photo courtesy of Sam Howells.

In addition to previous donation projects, Lamphier is also planning a recycling program where the media center will donate used cartridges to Staples in exchange for credit. Although teachers can donate ink cartridges for personal credit, Lamphier wants to expand this into a program for the media center. "I could start collecting people's ink cartridges,” she said, "and the media center gets the money.”

With ink cartridges being used up and wasted on a regular basis, Blair could possibly yield a significant profit. However, Staples' current return-rate for cartridge donations doesn't seem to be worth it. According to Staples'

With staff and students spearheading sustainable projects for the spring and beyond, Blair is sure to become more sustainable for the future. Lamphier's programs are just the beginning.