By Brandi Makuski

Other schools might be green with envy — but not as green as Madison Elementary.

The school won the $1,000 top prize offered by the Neenah-based Miron Construction Company in its “Be Green in ’17” contest, which encouraged staff, teachers and students at K-12 school to lead more sustainable lives.

Focusing on the three pillars of environmental impact: health and wellness; environmental literacy; and sustainability literacy, video entries had to answer the question, “How would you use $1,000 to help your school go green in 2017?”

The school’s 400 students answered in fine fashion, using the alphabet song to sing their reply.

“The goal was to incentivize schools and teachers to provide sustainable acts,” Paul LaPree, Vice President Business Development at Miron Construction, told the students. “I don’t know how you came up with some green initiative, some green plan, for every letter of the alphabet — what makes it more amazing is every single one of you was involved.”

According to Susan Schuller, who works on the school’s Green & Healthy Schools Committee, the movement goes beyond just recycling. It also includes eating healthy, limiting use of drinking straws or plastic utensils, and using native plants in the school’s landscaping.

The school will use the $1,000 to install new walking trails outside the school, along with reading benches, an outdoor music wall, an outdoor multipurpose area and native plants.

https://youtu.be/LVS1TzRY_Ec