Palos Verdes School Competes to Produce the Least Amount of Lunch Trash

From a press release:

When it comes to lunchtime trash, less is definitely more.

That’s the lesson environmental education nonprofit Grades of Green wants to teach students as they kick off their fourth annual Trash Free Lunch Challenge in partnership with Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County.

• One peninsula school is in the running, Montemalaga Elementary School.

The last three years of the challenge has led to a total of 71,000 bags of trash diverted from landfills and thousands of dollars saved in waste hauler pick-ups. While the metrics speak to the success of participating schools, the real results are the environmental values the students take home.

“The goal of the Trash-Free Lunch Challenge is to not only reduce waste, but also to teach kids how to reuse, recycle and compost. We hope they’ll develop and keep these habits for a lifetime,” said Grace Robinson Hyde, Sanitation Districts’ Chief Engineer and General Manager.

Participating schools will ask students to eliminate trash by using reusable lunch containers, water bottles, and utensils, as well as cloth napkins. All students, including those who buy lunch, will be taught how to sort waste for recycling and composting. Through a combination of sorting and bringing reusable lunch containers, last year’s Challenge schools achieved a 70 percent average lunchtime waste diversion rate.

“Each year that we continue this program, dozens of additional schools help the environment by reducing lunchtime trash, with an added bonus of saving the school money,” said Lisa Coppedge, Grades of Green’s cofounder and Director of Programs. “As more and more schools learn how to reduce waste, the environmental impact increases exponentially, because the schools continue to divert their lunchtime trash year after year.”

The first 20 schools to apply and register at www.gradesofgreen.org are entered in the yearlong competition and receive guided assistance, a team of supportive staff members, and a consultation to create a tailored trash free program based on each school’s needs. Once the competing schools implement their trash free lunch program, Grades of Green selects three finalists through an application process.

A panel of environmental experts evaluates the implementation and success of the three finalists’ trash reduction programs. The winning school receives a grand prize of a $1,000 education grant. The second- and third-place schools receive $750 and $500, respectively.

Click here to learn more about the challenge.

While this year’s Trash Free Lunch Challenge is underway, any school can begin Grades of Green’s Trash Free Lunch program, as well as more than 40 other environmental activities, at any time. Complete instructions and materials are available at no cost to schools at www.gradesofgreen.org.

Additional sponsors of the Trash-Free Lunch Challenge include LAcarGUY, The city of Santa Monica, The Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation, Go Green Lunch Box, Wean Green, and The Delt Foundation. Chevron provides the education grants.