Thursday will mark the traditional day that people don their green garb, but the City of Turlock is getting an early start on celebrating all things green, though in this context it’s not the Emerald Isle that is being touted, but rather an environmentally friendly lifestyle.
Monday marked the start of the City of Turlock Municipal Department’s Go Green Week, which promotes environmental education and choices that correlate to “green living.”
Go Green Week is coordinated each year with participating schools within the Turlock Unified School District, and through a partnership with city staff, teachers, administrators, community organizations and volunteers, students from kindergarten to senior level learn about conservation and pollution prevention strategies such as recycling, composting, water conservation and waste reduction activities.
“This program brings the best out in our community — our kids — for a worthy earth-friendly cause,” commented Mayor Gary Soiseth. “With over 10,000 students and faculty participants, the Go Green Week engages students in activities to improve our environment, improve their schools and to inspire participation in solutions for a sustainable future.”
In conjunction with Go Green Week, the City’s Bus Line Service, BLAST, will be offering free rides for all passengers, all routes, all week long through Saturday. This special offer does not include the sale of transfers to START and does not include DART services.
This year marks the ninth occasion that the city and the schools have partnered to celebrate Go Green Week. In the past eight years, the Go Green Program has helped to divert over 17,876 pounds of material from the landfill, plant 168 trees, and assist with fundraising efforts to raise nearly $8,440 for the schools through recycling contests. This year’s events include tree plantings, recycling contests, a district wide “Wear Green Day,” and green awareness wristbands for students to wear throughout the week. The event also brings out several business and institution representatives to discuss with students the programs and procedures they have put in place to promote conservation. Past representatives have hailed from California State University, Stanislaus, Turlock Irrigation District, Stanislaus County Department of Education and Department of Environmental Resources as well as the United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Turlock Recycling Company, The Great Valley Museum of Natural Science, The Greenery Nursery and The City of Turlock Municipal Services Department.
The first Go Green Week event in Turlock was in 2008 at Sandra Medeiros Elementary School.
For more information on the City of Turlock’s Go Green Week program, contact Toni Cordell at 668-5474 or at tcordell@turlock.ca.us, or visit the City’s Go Green website at www.cityofturlock.org/gogreen.
