Municipal Services

Go Green

School / Youth Programs

The City of Turlock offers various events and opportunities to participate in activities that educate students about the importance of environmentally-responsible behavior. In 2008, the department initiated the first-ever “Go Green Week”, a week-long schedule of activities, coordinated in conjunction with Earth Day and that concludes with the City of Turlock’s Healthy Earth, Healthy Families Fun Festival. Go Green Week encourages environmentally responsible behavior inside and outside of the classroom. The following is a list of programs designed to encourage active participation with conservation and pollution prevention strategies inside and outside of the classroom. For more information on the City of Turlock’s environmental education programs or to schedule a tour of the treatment facility, call the Municipal Services Dept. at 668-5590.

• Team Green Kids Club
• Go Green Week
• Green Teen of the Month
• Arbor Day Tree Planting
• Healthy Earth, Healthy Families Festival
• Field Trips (Treatment plant)
• Website- tips/activities

Go Green Week

As part of our efforts to encourage environmental stewardship, the City of Turlock offers various activities and programs to students to teach earth-friendly behaviors. The cornerstone of our school-age public education campaign is the City of Turlock’s “Go Green Week” program.

In 2008, Sandra Tovar Medeiros Elementary School participated in the first-ever “Go Green Week” on April 21st-25th. The program focused on activities to educate students about the importance of environmentally-responsible behavior. Through a partnership involving City staff, teachers, administrators, community organizations, volunteers and parents, students learned about conservation and pollution prevention strategies such as recycling, composting, water conservation and waste reduction activities. The week included activities such as; school site visits by local business representatives, recycling contests, and a “Wear Green Day”. Green bracelets were distributed to every student to wear throughout the entire week. The week is coordinated annually, in conjunction with National Earth Day and coincides with the City of Turlock’s annual “Arbor Day” Tree Planting Celebration. Classroom presentations for every Kindergarten through 6th grade class were conducted throughout the week provided by representatives from local entities such as: 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 presentation topics were selected by the teachers to reinforce learning that had already taken place in the classroom. The program concluded with a school assembly on Friday afternoon (with a visit from one of the “Team Green” mascots), where the recycling contest winners were announced and given prizes, and each student became honorary members of the “Team Green” kids club.

Due to the success of last year’s Go Green Week, this year’s program was expanded to include 7 elementary schools in the Turlock Unified School District. The event was held from April 27th-May 1st, 2009 and entailed a variety of presentations, assemblies and activities which were provided by a conglomerate of local community organizations and the City of Turlock staff. An on campus tree planting at Cunningham school, a lady-bug release at Walnut Elementary Education Center and a district-wide recycling contest that generated an enormous 11,200 pounds of recycled material, are amongst a few of the week’s highlights.

Response from school site coordinators and administrators has been overwhelmingly positive. Bret Sutterley, the Go Green Week school liaison commented “Thank you so much for all your organization and preparations to make Go Green (Week) a success not only at Walnut, but for our entire district. You are to be commended for creating a wonderfully important opportunity for children. We at Walnut are so fortunate to have you in our community. I appreciate your taking on such and enormous task, and for making it all go so smoothly. Our children are now more than ever aware of the importance of caring not only for our resources in Turlock, but also as citizens of our Planet Earth.”

For approximately $1.61 per child and $1.47 per participant, Go Green week helped to engage youth citizens of Turlock in individual and collective activities to improve their health, to improve their schools and to inspire participation in building solutions for a sustainable future. By recognizing that our future success is tied to their understanding and acceptance of socially just endeavors, Go Green Week aimed to educate the children of today’s society in order to instill a sense of responsibility for the quality of living in Turlock in the future.

Go Green Week Testimonials

Wastewater Treatment Facility Tours

The City of Turlock conducts tours for students and community groups of the wastewater treatment facility by appointment. The City of Turlock also works closely with Turlock Scavenger and Recycling Company to facilitate tour packages with site visits to both facilities. For more information or to schedule a tour for your class or group, please call the City of Turlock Municipal Services Department at 209.668.5599 ext. 4474.

Team Green Kids Club

The Team Green Kids Club for Youth Environmentalists is a way for young stewards to exchange ideas and information on how to work together to recycle, conserve and preserve the natural resources of our community. Membership benefits include meeting new friends with likeminded interests, learning new ways to Go Green, conservation ideas and fun activities as well as receiving a membership packet full of fun items like stickers, coloring books and lots of other cool stuff! As a member kids also receive our Go Green newsletter and special invites to future events! Sign-up today and be a member of “Team Green”!

Green Teen of the Month

The City of Turlock recognizes Turlock teens who exemplify sustainable living standards amongst their peers and the community. Candidates should be ages 13-18 years, a student and a current resident of Turlock, who demonstrate outstanding and innovative efforts in environmental stewardship by working on environmental and conservation friendly projects on campus and/or within the Turlock community. Outstanding service in environmental preservation practices include exemplary performance with activities aimed at educating and/or engaging the participation of his/her peers in practicing water and energy conservation, pollution prevention, waste reduction and recycling, prevention or reduction of pollution in the air (climate change/global warming), and preservation or enhancement of natural areas.

Nomination forms can be submitted on-line, or in paper form to City Hall, upstairs in the Municipal Services Department. The student will be notified, have their picture taken, and asked to submit a one-page biographical questionnaire.

The award recipient will be announced at a specified Turlock City Council meeting and will have their photo and biography displayed on the City of Turlock’s website on the “Go Green” section home page, as well as in the Turlock Journal and the Municipal Services “Go Green” Newsletter publications.

If you would like to nominate someone for the Green Teen of the Month, please contact the City of Turlock Municipal Services Department at 209.668.5599 ext.4474 to receive a nomination packet.

Arbor Day Tree Planting

Every year the City holds an Arbor Day tree-planting event that combines City crews and City school children in a day of planting trees. Not only do the children learn hands-on of the important roles trees play in our community, but also new trees help anchor soil thus minimizing soil erosion.