Despite the challenges, school leaders across the country are figuring out ways to adapt their zero waste strategies for school year 20-21, and some are even using the disruption caused by the pandemic to establish better, more sustainable ways of doing things. This was the big take-away from SGA’s webinar Zero Waste School Practices During […]
‘Microplastic Madness’ film screening in
In honor of Plastic Free July last month, SGA hosted a screening of the award-winning film “Microplastic Madness” followed by a panel discussion with the film’s co-directors, Debby Lee Cohen and Atsuko Quirk from Cafeteria Culture, and Andrea Densham, Conservation Policy Director at the Shedd Aquarium. Our goal was to share the film’s inspiring youth-focused […]
Oak Park River Forest High School takes ...
In the school movement to reduce landfill waste, Oak Park River Forest High School (OPRFHS) took a major step on Feb. 24. On that day, the school launched its zero waste program, marking a new way of doing things in its two cafeterias. This means that students now use sorting station bins for recycling and […]
Northwood Jr. High is fourth District 11...
Principal Sergio Gonzalez at Northwood Jr. High at Elm Place is proof that school leadership is key to the success of any zero waste program. Recognizing the impact that waste reduction efforts would have on his students and the environment, the enthusiastic school leader did not want to wait until the school was in its […]
Oak Terrace students achieve ninety perc...
Our impact on the environment is a top concern of students at Oak Terrace School. “Our students are truly in tune with what is going on in the world around them and want to take an active role in making a difference,” remarked associate principal Shalagh O’Neill. Last year the students successfully urged the school […]
Meet Becky Brodsky, new zero waste consu...
Becky Brodsky spends a lot of her days looking for ways to reduce waste. It all started 11 years ago. She was attending a coffee for the parents of new kindergartners at her son’s new school. “And I saw the volume amount of waste on that first day of school,” she recalls. For someone who […]
Rondout counting down to zero waste
Rondout Elementary School is a small school with big plans– get to zero waste. With washable dishes in the lunchroom and recycling well-established throughout the building, the school was already well on its way. They got a whole lot closer to that goal this past April with the launch of their zero waste lunchroom. Rondout […]
LaSalle digs into onsite composting and ...
LaSalle Language Academy students gathered around desks waiting for their chance to dig through containers of compost filled with food scraps, worms, and other soil critters. These students had just learned how composting can help their school reduce waste and help prevent climate change. Then they saw how the decomposition process works with their own […]
Zero Waste Schools now in Lake County
“I was shocked at how much food was getting thrown away and how much trash was being generated during the lunch period,” Braeside School parent Philippa Dejmal remarked. “Since the start of Zero Waste at Braeside, the students are learning how to make better choices and are learning that a small action can bring about […]
Lincoln School brings milk carton recycl...
Keeping a zero waste program going requires coordination and support that can be challenging for schools, especially when there isn’t more than one champion. Lincoln Elementary School in Oak Park District 97 started commercial composting and recycling in the lunchroom in the 2013-2014 school year, but for various reasons, the program didn’t stick. After years of […]