Year Round - Battery Recycling Contest

Household batteries that are not disposed of properly can lead to contamination of ground water and soil. Pasco County Utilities and The District School Board of Pasco County co-sponsor the Household Battery Recycling Contest each fiscal year from July 1st to June 30th. The contest encourages students and school employees to recycle their household batteries. Please note that participating schools cannot accept batteries from local businesses as part of the contest or they may be disqualified. Household batteries should be placed in 5-gallon battery buckets and labeled with the battery bucket form. The battery recycling contest is a great way for your school to earn money through recycling. A contest summary is sent out each month to contest participants. A variety of recycling containers and marketing materials can be ordered for free to assist you with your recycling efforts. For specific procedures for recycling household batteries, please refer to the Recycling Manual.

October- Energy Awareness Month

Take a look around your school and you will see many ways that you can help to conserve energy: turn off lights that are not in use, set thermostats to the appropriate temperatures by using the District's temperature guidelines, close windows and doors when the air conditioning or heat is operating, and more. The following links will provide you with information that you can use to plan your own Energy Awareness Month activities: U.S. Department of Energy Energy Star

November - America Recycles Day

America Recycles Day is celebrated annually on November 15th. During America Recycles Day, our students participate in the national recycling pledge card contest and Recycling Video Contest. By taking the America Recycles Day pledge, students and employees promise to protect the environment by implementing recycling efforts. The school with the most student and employee pledge cards in the statewide contest will win prizes for their school. All employees are encouraged to submit a recycling pledge card for exciting national prizes. 

February - Igniting Creative Energy Contest

Igniting Creative Energy Contest is a national student challenge to motivate learning, ignite the imagination, and fuel the creative potential in youth. This contest gives students the opportunity to use their creativity to communicate your energy ideas and actions to others.

February and March - The Pasco Art of Recycling

The Pasco Art of Recycling is sponsored by the District School Board of Pasco County, Pasco County, and Keep Pasco Beautiful. The event is was created to promote environmental awarness through the use of recyclable material art. All 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grade Pasco County high school, private, charter, and home school students are eligible to participate. Each year, approximately 100 students submit art work and over $2,500 in cash prizes are awarded. Graduating Pasco County public high school seniors who have entered the Pasco Art of Recycling competition any time during their high school career are encouraged to apply for one of two the $750 Pasco Art of Recycling Scholarship through the Pasco Education Foundation scholarship program. The Pasco Art of Recycling competition is a fun way that students can be creative while utilizing recycled materials. The art work that is created is truly amazing!

The exhibit is on display in February at the West Pasco Government Center and winning pieces will be on display in March at The District School Board of Pasco County. To enter competition, please fill out a Pasco Art of Recycling Application Form and submit the application with your art work by the due date. The application must be taped securely to your art work. Thank you to our previous sponsors for their support: County Commissioner Mike Moore, County Recycling, Covanta Energy, Inc., Fine Arts of the Suncoast,  Keep Pasco Beautiful, Pasco Arts Council, Pasco Education Foundation, Regency Technologies, Republic Services, Sierra Family Foundation, Simpson Farms, Waste Aid Systems, Waste Connections, and Waste Management of Pasco.

May - EnergyWhiz Olympics

The Florida Solar Energy Center has many outstanding contests related to energy. Enter the EnergyWhiz Olympics and compete with other students to create a gourmet meal using a solar cooker. Solar cookers come in many different styles such as: box, clear dome, funnel, hot pot, mobile, parabolic, pyramid, trough, wall oven inside the home, wall oven outside the home, and winged.