Crystal Lein is a paraprofessional at Huntley Hills elementary school and has been running the schools recycling programs and spearheading the school’s environmental efforts for over a decade. She has been fulfilling Keep Chamblee Beautiful’s mission long before we ever had a mission.
Her nickname around the school is The Lein Green Recycling Machine!
When Allison Hutchinson, 5th grade Montessori teacher at Huntley Hills, initially started recycling at the school, she and Crystal took everything recyclable home with them every day. They recycled paper, cans and even Styrofoam on their own, personal time, driving to drop-off centers.
The volume started to grow beyond what their cars could hold and even though DeKalb County started recycling, they wouldn’t pick-up from the school. That didn’t stop Crystal! She sought out private companies and negotiated contracts to ensure Huntley Hills Elementary School continued to recycle. When Huntley Hills annexed into Chamblee she worked with our city’s Public Works department and now Chamblee is picking up the recycling.
Crystal often comes in early, works during her lunch hours and stays late – just to make sure everything gets recycling. She truly leads by example.
More importantly than anything else, Crystal has been spearheading the Environmental Club and teaching the next generation of Chamblee residents and business owners the importance of conserving resources, recycling and caring for our planet. She is making a huge difference today and her work with the kids is going to make a huge difference in decades to come.
Congratulations and THANK YOU Crystal Lein!
