The Great Waste Challenge
Dear parents,
Our trash had been falling and the kids are trying very hard
to keep the numbers down. Wednesday's results were disappointing. While
lunch trash, the largest component keeps declining, campus trash has
risen significantly. Campus trash consists primarily of trash generated
before and after school. Upon examination, we find Starbucks and
Coffeebean cups, Gelson's bags, lots of adult type trash. Let's all try
to set an example for the kids and be a part of the solution.
Thanks! The Green Team.
Carpenter’s
Great Waste Challenge… How Low Can We Go?
By Sara Singer Schiff
The Carpenter “Go Green Team” kicked off “Waste Week”
Friday September 26th with a sneak attack on
students and
staff which consisted of stealing garbage from every trash can on
campus throughout the day. The attack was part of a week long
exercise designed to illustrate to students and staff in a tangible
way just how much garbage is generated in one day by the school.
Over the course of one week, Oct. 6-10, parent volunteers,
instigated by Go Green Team Leader Janet
Loeb, will
collect trash from each lunch period and from each grade, and at the
end of each day, will weigh it on a giant scale on campus, built by
Go Green Team Awareness Leader
Dorian Meehan and her
husband Chip. The results of the weigh ins will be
displayed
every morning on a large chart posted in the school yard near Room
43 which will show the daily decrease in trash by each grade
and
by each lunch period.
Students are allowed to guess how much garbage was collected
in
the surprise attack on September 26nd, by
submitting their
guesses in a green suggestion box in the office or by email at
Carpentergreen1@aol.com
no later then 8pm on Sunday October 5th. Results
will then
be announced at the student assembly on Monday October 6th.
Parents are welcome to stay for the assembly, but are reminded to be
respectful.
In addition to serving as an educational experience, the
initiative was intended as a fun way to encourage students to try and
reduce their waste. Teachers are also encouraged to take part by
offering a range of activities to do with students in
the
classroom such as recycled art activities and steps to a waste free
lunch. Some of the things the children are learning include
how
to recycle at Carpenter, why recycling is important and the
connection between waste, landfills, and global warming.
The following are a few tips on how to reduce the amount of
waste
at school:
2. Pack a cloth napkin and durable plastic silverware instead of paper napkins and disposable silverware.
3. Discourage use of bottled water. Los Angeles has won awards for its great tasting, healthy water!
4. Teach the kids to color and write and the back sides of paper.
5. Learn what goes in the blue and green bins, be diligent, and teach your children the same.
