Composting at Truckee High kicked off this week around campus. The Envirolution club, in partnership with Sierra Watershed Education Partnerships (SWEP), has followed the lead of other schools across the district in making a better and more eco-friendly campus.
In the cafeteria on campus, a new system in which students, admin, teachers and staff should follow is initiated. The table includes two green bins for food waste only, and one white bin for liquids. Anything that is not food should still be sorted into the trash and recycled.
Schools in our district have been composting in the back of the house for a few years. But most of the waste that is coming from our schools is from the front of the house where students are eating, or not, and then throwing it away. Another new installment as part of this process is the share cart. Here is a place to share food and drink items that are not eaten, unopened and ready for others to eat.
It is Important to successfully sort food waste and trash because the impacts that it has on the environment are vast and increasingly negative. Instead of allowing food to go to the landfill, it can be turned into new energy or soil for local farmers.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “The wasted food rots and produces methane, a greenhouse gas 28 times as powerful as CO2 at trapping heat in the atmosphere.” Methanes effect on the environment is a growing concern not only because of heat being trapped in the atmosphere, but also because it impacts the ground level ozone layer. “EPA estimates that wasted food is responsible for 58% of landfill methane emissions to the atmosphere.” High concentrations of methane are fatal.
In an effort to make this effective, the leaders of Envirolution and its members are asking everyone to make changes, take one more simple step and help stop the massive amounts of waste at THS.
“As an Envirolution Club we have noticed a ton of food waste in the school cafeteria. Because food waste contributes to the release of methane into the atmosphere it is important to reduce the amount of food in landfills.” Senior Callie Schatz, one of the club’s presidents said.
Working towards sustainability through advocacy with help from SWEP and the Envirolution Club, students can be more connected to the earth and promote effective climate action. Schatz continues, “To help minimize our school’s contribution to waste, we have implemented composting bins in our school cafeteria.”
Composting is not the only thing that Envirolution is taking on! The Club also advocates the long standing tradition of Trashion.
Trashion operates as not only a method for activism but a way to showcase outfits that members have made. Students create outfits made out of recycled materials and trash. These shows take place at various locations in the area like elementary schools across the district as well as at the Earth Day show at Palisades Tahoe every April. North Tahoe and Truckee High Students work together to create shows full of important messages, climate action and beautiful outfits.
To learn more about SWEP, visit the website here.
