Zero-Waste and Plastic-Free

A common phrase these days is 'Zero Waste'.  A difficult goal to be sure.  Zero Waste. That means, at the end of the day, every day, you have NOTHING going to a landfill.  I found this great Zero Waste Blog, which works toward creating a zero waste home.  One thing I really appreciate from the blog is their list of Rs.  Traditionally, the rule is Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. But that does not cover it all, if you wish to be completely waste-free.  So they have added Refuse and Rot. So to quote the blog...

"The zero in "zero waste" makes it sound scary and hard to achieve. It is actually not as as hard as it seems, and it is as simple as following these Five R's, in order:

• Refuse what you do not need.
• Reduce what you do need.
• Reuse by using reusables.
• Recycle what you cannot refuse, reduce, or reuse.
• Rot (compost) the rest."

Emphasis on the fact that these rules are IN ORDER. So ROT only what you can't recycle, RECYCLE only what you can't reuse, REUSE only what you can reduce, and REDUCE only what you can't REFUSE.  

A main component in all of these steps is plastic.  Plastic is everywhere you look these days. It is unreal how difficult it is to avoid plastics. I found this Plastic-Free Guide which is a great source that explains ways that we can REFUSE and REDUCE our dependence on plastic. 

I am working on this project myself, although iced coffee cups are my downfall when I'm out and about.. Baby steps, though.  I have been paying more attention with my purchasing. I buy milk in cartons, even without the little plastic cap. Rather than buying individually portioned products, like yogurt, I buy it in bulk and divide servings in reusable containers to take to work. And look for products that use as little packaging as possible. Packaging, though, is another post for another day. 

Sustainability in K-12 Schools

Okay- so I have been blogging about my internship and initiatives, just not on here.  The Student Conservation Association (SCA) and ARAMARK both have social connection type websites, where we can connect with other interns throughout the country.  So far, I have done most of my updating and blogging on those. So now I'll summarize all the fun stuff I'm doing here in Providence, and quickly cover the past two months.

I can't believe it's only been two months!

As is my goal with this blog, my main goal here in Rhode Island is to spread environmental education.  Although I have many smaller projects I am working on constantly, like light bulb recycling and food waste reduction, I have three main projects that take up most of my time.  My projects are data collection, recycling, and farm to school.

Data Collection -- actually more fun than it sounds.  Because Aramark has had environmental initiatives in the past but did not put them in writing, my job is to collect information on past (and current) initiatives and create a visual awareness guide.  With this guide, we will be able to show what the company has done for the environment and K-12 schools in Rhode Island, and educate people as to what we are doing behind the scenes, that they do not necessarily see or understand.

Recycling -- ARAMARK has the facilities account in the City of Providence, so I am working with 37 schools in the district to increase recycling and education among students and faculty.  Right now I am working with the City's Office of Sustainability on starting up a Recycling Competition between the schools, which will last until winter break, and encourage the schools to recycle.  I will create a post just on this competition, once we have the details ironed out a little more.  My goal is to put together a K-12 Recycling Best Practices Guide, that other school districts can use to increase their recycling.

Farm to School -- We have the food accounts at 13 school districts across the state. At these schools, my main project is to increase local purchases at the schools.  The process is very involved, as we have to work through Sysco, our vendor, and cannot purchase straight from farms.  There is a Farm to School Manager who I have been able to work with on a number of occasions lately, and I am thankful to have her help and experience with working to increase farm to school purchases. A lot of what she does is also education, and I got the chance to assist her at a Children's Workshop (picture below), where we introduced new, local fruits and veggies to elementary-age children.

Chef Kimberly of Farm Fresh RI - Reading 'Tops and Bottoms' to the kids.

This week I am working on putting together a folder on information for each of the principals.  The folder will include materials from a flyer for the recycling competition to 'how to' guides for getting students involved and measuring each school's recycling data.

Well, back to it!