Surrounded by students, school administrators and board members as well as parents, Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray and Councilman Gary Hudes kicked off their Levittown Green Schools initiative. The glass, plastic, metal and paper recycling campaign was announced at Summit Lane Elementary School in Levittown. While Hempstead Town boasts among the highest curbside recycling participation rates in the nation for homeowners, the green school effort represents a significant expansion of the town's commitment to the environment.

"Teaching young people the importance of keeping our planet 'green and clean' is an integral component in ensuring the welfare of our environment," Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray said. "Encouraging schools to partner with us in this important mission is an effective way for us to teach younger generations environmentally friendly habits that will last a lifetime."

In cooperation with Hempstead Town, the Levittown and Island Trees School Districts are enthusiastically embracing recycling at their schools. Two schools, Summit Lane and East Broadway Elementary Schools, are spearheading the initiative as the first Levittown schools to commence recycling. In total, the town/Levittown/Island Trees school districts partnership plans to have 15 schools on board with the recycling of glass, metal, plastic and paper in the near future. In fact, Hempstead is the first town in Nassau to commence school-based recycling.

"As a Levittown resident, I am very excited that every school in our area will be doing the right thing to protect the environment," said Hudes. "We have many ecological victories in the town and our young people deserve to be part of our effort to create a 'greener and cleaner' planet."

"The Levittown Public School District is delighted to join Kate Murray and her efforts to make Levittown a greener and safer place for all of our children," stated Dr. Herman A. Sirois, Superintendent of Schools.

Island Trees School District Superintendent James Parla noted, "Our students at Island Trees Memorial Middle School and our high school will be involved with the recycling project with the Town of Hempstead. In fact, students at Memorial Middle School approached the Island Trees Board of Education months ago requesting their involvement. I am ecstatic that our students recognize the importance of protecting the environment and that they are interested in addressing the environmental issues that we currently face."

The collaborative recycling effort will call for each school to supply a 96-gallon recycling container, which is suitable for machine-operated pickup by the town's automated sanitation trucks. Hempstead Town, in turn, will remove all of the materials on a regular schedule and ensure that they are delivered to the town's recycling contractors.

"The cost to the school district for this program is nominal, and the rewards are invaluable," stated Murray. "For the cost of a recycling container at each school, we can significantly improve our environmental legacy."

Murray and Hudes mentioned that the school recycling effort in Levittown builds upon a pilot program that has been initiated at individual schools in Seaford, Wantagh and Merrick. The officials indicated that they would like to expand the program to as many schools served by the town as possible.

"I want to thank all of the officials and board members from Levittown and Island Trees schools, as well as the students, for helping to make the Levittown Green Schools Program a reality," concluded Murray.