Get ready to toss the old mantra out with the recyclables because it's time to play the new eco-game in town: WASTE DIVERSION! On February 21, 2024, the eco-heroes of Big Thompson Elementary in the Thompson School District donned their green t-shirts and showed the world how to kick waste to the curb. With over 200 students and staff teaming up with the green gurus at Schneider Electric and Republic Services, they zapped a whopping 93% of their waste into the right bins during just one lunch period.
The team leading this eco-extravaganza, Pamela Weinstein, Will Benish and Kate Lisle, turned trash into treasure, smashing the goals of the district's Sustainability Management Plan like a piece of cake (composted, of course). After six months of plotting and planning, with trash audits, eco-lectures, lessons, and games that were anything but rubbish, everyone learned that diverting lunch leftovers is not just cool – it's a money-saving, resource-conserving, plastic-busting move!
In addition, The Compost Council, a squad of student eco-warriors, is shaking things up with a call to arms (or hands) for real silverware over single-use sporks at mealtimes. These young members of the Student Council aren't just talking the talk; they've done their homework on plastic pollution and are gearing up to take their findings all the way to the school board.
All in all, the Waste Diversion event was a GREEN-tastic triumph, and we're not stopping here. We're rolling this eco-party out across the Thompson School District and beyond. Watch out, waste – here we come!
Hear more stories about how we help our clients use infrastructure modernization projects to create hands-on learning and STEAM career readiness programs at: https://perspectives.se.com/engage-students.