By Whitney High Students
Did you know that ABC School District emits about 1481 pounds of carbon dioxide a day from plastic utensils? The passionate students of the Ecology and Wildlife Club at Whitney High School have decided to take action to reduce their school’s plastic waste and fight the climate crisis at the same time.
Whitney’s Ecology and Wildlife Club is partnering with the non-profit Grades of Green to bring compostable utensils to school cafeterias. Currently, the team has raised money and purchased compostable utensils to be used in Whitney’s cafeteria. The students have also created a petition for students, parents, and faculty to sign. To sign the petition click here.
Plastic utensils are used every day by students across the district and are a large contributor to the ABC School District’s carbon footprint. Aiming for districtwide change, the students will present their research on the environmental and public health impacts of single-use plastic utensils to the ABC Nutrition Services Manager.
ABOUT GRADES OF GREEN
Grades of Green is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to inspire and empower kids and the broader school community to care for the environment. The Whitney Ecology and Wildlife club students were inspired to take action by participating in Grades of Green’s Climate Solutions Campaign in which student leaders launch climate-focused campaigns around the globe with Grades of Greens’ support. When a student team joins a campaign, they are paired with a Grades of Green mentor who provides personal guidance, research, and leadership coaching. Participating student teams are eligible to earn eco-grants to extend the impact of their environmental project. Grades of Green provides student teams with these services at no cost. This is the fifth Grades of Green Campaign the Ecology and Wildlife Club has undertaken to spread awareness and enact environmental change in the local communities. They have organized projects to compost food waste on campus, constructed an eight-foot model of an ocean wave from plastic water bottles to represent the effects of single-use plastics on marine habitats, developed a curriculum to educate elementary school students on the dangers of plastic pollution, and hosted a community tree sale to offset Whitney High School’s paper usage.
HOW CAN STUDENTS GET INVOLVED WITH GRADES OF GREEN?
Are you a student who would like to get involved or do you know of one? Find more information and sign up your student team at www.gradesofgreen.org or email [email protected].
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