Oro Loma Earth Day 2005 Poster Contest

For the eleventh year in a row, Oro Loma and Waste Management have teamed up to sponsor a poster contest that provides students an opportunity to compete for cash prizes while they learn about recycling.

The Oro Loma/Waste Management Earth Day 2005 Poster Contest is set to kick off January 18, 2005. At that time, free poster paper with an entry form printed on the back will be available at District schools, at Oro Loma, and at Waste Management. Students may also use their own poster paper as long as it measures exactly 11x17-inches. An entry form is printed in the Oro Loma 2004-2005 Calendar, and one will be available online for download at www.oroloma.org on January 1, 2005. If either of these entry forms is used, it must be securely taped to the back of the student's poster. Entries will be accepted from January 18, 2005 until the contest ends on March 18, 2005.

The poster contest is free and open to all students, grades K-12, attending a school in the Oro Loma Sanitary District. Students may submit only one entry. Cash prizes of $500 for first place, $300 for second place, $200 for third place, and two prizes of $100 for honorable mention will be awarded. Matching cash prizes will be awarded to the winning students' schools. In addition, 15 non-monetary Certificates of Merit will be awarded to the finalists in each grade category. Schools that submit qualified entries but do not have a cash winner will receive a $100 Participation Award.

The slogan for this year's contest is: Cool Schools Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. We know how important it is to practice the 3 Rs of recycling-Reduce, Reuse, Recycle-at home, but it is just as important to recycle at school. For the 2005 contest, we are asking students to show how they and their teachers and school administrators can practice the 3 Rs of recycling in school. A list of suggestions is printed in the Oro Loma 2004-2005 Calendar and will be available online at www.oroloma.org. There are many ways to practice the 3 Rs, and we want students to show what they think is the best and most creative way to recycle in the classroom and at school. Posters will also be judged on originality and artistic content. The list of cash winners in each grade category will be announced on the contest hotline at (510) 613-2855 and on www.oroloma.org on Earth Day, April 22, 2005. The specific placement of winners within each grade category will be unveiled at an awards ceremony on May 10, 2005.

For frequently asked questions and a list of eligible schools, visit www.oroloma.org or call the contest hotline at (510) 613-2855.