Polaris is one of two Anchorage schools to earn its Air Quality Award during the last school year. The school’s Green Star coordinator made this possible by organizing weekly meetings for the Green Star Club, a combination of students and teachers, to work toward meeting the Green Star and Air Quality standards. The students made the awards possible maintaining their dedication to making their school and its surroundings a healthier place. As part of their Green Star efforts, Green Star Club members manage recycling bins in each classroom and arrange school clean-up days.
The Green Star Club at Polaris also has done an excellent job making sure that all lights in the school are turned off when not in use and that energy is not wasted. Club members posted signs over all lights switches saying, "When not in use, turn off the juice." Custodial staff does its part by maintaining equipment, such as water faucets, vents, and the school’s heating system, to make sure they are working properly and efficiently. On sunny days, teachers often do not turn the lights on in their classrooms to save energy.
The Polaris Green Star Club joined forces with Alaska Youth for Environmental Action on an anti-idling campaign in February 2000. Students made informational cards and distributed them to the driving community at Polaris about the effects of idling cars on air quality. Club members also assessed the number of cars found idling during the week and estimated the emissions. Polaris has since officially made their campus an “Idle Free Zone.”
Students and teachers created a natural habitat with lots of trees and a small wetlands area with a garden to help keep the dust levels down. Dust is an issue at the school because it is close to a major highway. Twice a year, the Green Star Club organizes a school-wide event to sweep and clean the school’s parking lot. Polaris does not provide school bus transportation for its students, so students either drive, carpool, bike, or take the city bus. A share a ride list is posted in the school office to help students and parents set up carpools. Polaris strongly encourages biking and other means of transportation other than driving.
