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 […]
Nettelhorst Launches Zero Waste Schools ...
Nettelhorst Elementary School, a Chicago Public School located in the Lakeview neighborhood, launched a zero waste program in their lunchroom at the start of 2019. The program reduces waste through liquid diversion, recycling, tray-stacking, and a share table. It has been in the works since the pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade school reached out to Seven Generations […]
Small Change Leads to Big Waste Reductio...
If you’ve ever eaten in a school cafeteria, you have probably encountered a spork packet. It’s a little plastic bag that typically comes with a combo spoon-fork utensil, a straw, and a tiny folded napkin, all in one convenient packet. It is ready for a student to grab and have everything they need– or don’t […]
Fox Valley Zero Waste Schools event spar...
On Nov. 28, 35 educators, school administrators, district staff, parents, and county recycling agency representatives gathered at the beautiful Onion Pub & Brewery in Lake Barrington for a meeting that sparked conversations and connections around zero waste initiatives in Fox Valley area schools and beyond. The event began with a presentation by Susan Casey, Zero […]