Honor For Buena Vista's Food Waste Warriors

students are becoming food "waste-free stewards" and it's decreasing the amount of food and trash tossed in the cans.

In recognition of the school's What a Waste! program, Buena Vista's fifth-graders won third place in the national Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge. The class educated students to "think before they throw" and parents to pay attention to what gets thrown away so they can modify lunch prep.

"It makes you feel good about our future to see a group of young students identify a community problem, spend time studying it enough to get a thorough understanding of the issue, and then take ownership and action to address it in a very prominent issue," said Walnut Creek Mayor Bob Simmons.

The prize includes a grant for the school and green prize packs of sustainable products for members of the class. The class was led by teacher/mentors Kari Stewart and Deborah Walker.