Rockdale Recycles

My school system is, unfortunately, not very eco-friendly. We have no recycling bins in my school(other than the occasional cardboard box), and all of the things we use to eat and serve our school lunches are either plastic or styrofoam. I intend to change all of that. The plan is to slowly introduce more eco-friendly practices into my local school system, using a pilot school. The first step is, as always, research. I must find out the current provider of trays and utensils for our lunches, and see if I can find a way to make biodegradable options more cost effective. I have to look for other schools or school systems that have successfully gone green and see what they have done. I will research the long term benefits of making the school system more eco-friendly. Next, I will compile a presentation describing all the ways that going green will benefit our school system, such as increasing awareness of climate change and enriching the curriculum. The presentation will lay out the plan step by step. 1- Choose a school to pilot the new program. 2- Add a few recycling bins to the commons area. 3- Slowly introduce biodegradable trays and utensils at lunch time. 4- Possibly compost waste materials, like leftovers from lunch or grass clippings. 5- Add an eco-friendly aspect to the curriculum. If the pilot school is elementary, perhaps teach the children about organic gardening. If it is a middle or high school, one might teach about the science behind green technology or the global impact of climate change and how to combat it. 6- After a month or so, check to see if the program is effective and cost efficient. If it is, slowly spread the program to more schools. If it is not, tweak it until it meets everybody's needs. The trick is to meet in the middle. I intend to present this idea, along with facts and figures that support my argument, to the school board at an upcoming meeting. Should the plan succeed, I hope to see a new generation of students excited about helping their planet and fighting climate change. I also intend for our school system to set an example for other nearby school systems.