Bridgewater Student Promotes Environmental Sustainability

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — Did you know that nearly one-third of the food produced for human consumption is wasted in landfills?

It is a total waste of resources, time, energy, and money especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when people struggle so hard to put food on the table. Imagine these huge piles of food waste littering the landfills and releasing large amounts of harmful greenhouse gases like methane and its effect on climate change.

Bridgewater-Raritan HS Junior Akhil Arularasu wanted to do something about this global problem. He decided to run a series of initiatives in order to promote environmental sustainability through food-waste reduction and composting.

To begin, he planned, designed, and constructed a three-part wooden compost bin that has the capability to hold more than 1,000 pounds of compost and is being used to make compost with food scraps and yard waste from the school. The compost produced will replace the nutrient-depleted soil in the school’s gardens.

Additionally, he worked with Milltown Elementary School to create awareness and engage the students on the benefits of a clean environment by composting everyday organic waste into nutrient-rich humus.

He also made pamphlets, videos, and instruction manuals for the students to help them understand how to compost. Additionally, he delivered presentations and speeches to inspire, motivate, and promote food-waste reduction in his community.

To expand his efforts further he has been working with other schools to implement composting solutions and create a food-reduction pledge drive for individuals.

Milltown School principal Matthew Lembo and teacher Meredith Alvarez encouraged and advised him on his initiatives. Special thanks to Mr. Brauchle, Mr. Survill, and fellow students for helping with his construction effort.

— By Priya Balasubramanian