GreenWood Charter School, located in Harrisville, Utah, is implementing a program that is all about going green. It’s the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle program. The students are learning about being mindful of their choices and how it affects the world around them.
Head Janitor, Eric Tillman, is passionate about the idea. “My role is the environmental steward. It’s not just head janitor and it’s not just recycling or using less paper, it’s about going green. It means using recycled products and renewable products. Going green also includes the chemicals used for cleaning. I use Melaleuca for indoor air quality. I do not have extra chemicals in the cleaners. Everything comes recycled and repurposed, even the trash bags. I like that I have been in direct control of our cleaning supplies. I’ve appreciated that opportunity.”
In the lunch room, students and teachers are gaining practical knowledge on composting through Tillman’s example and teaching. “The cool thing with our program is we can see what the kids aren’t eating,” Tillman says. Because we see the food waste, we’re able to help curb that waste & encourage the students to eat from a personalized menu. For example, we’ve learned that the lower grades (students in kindergarten through 2nd grade) don’t like to eat bread. Also, the breakfast kids don’t like eating bananas.”
Alycia Roberts, kitchen manager and creator of the menus at GreenWood, works closely with Tillman to ensure the success of the lunch room environment. She says, “To me the most important thing is not overcooking.”
In the beginning of the year, Styrofoam trays were used, but they were too bulky to store and weren’t recyclable. With some research, Roberts found “Bagasse” trays or sugar cane trays. They are 100% compostable & repurposed from sugar cane fibers; a much better alternative to Styrofoam.
Tillman says, “For the first 7-8 weeks of the school yea,r I had to recondition the kids about how food waste is sorted. “No food or liquid makes its way to the trash. All drink containers are being emptied before being recycled. For the first time, during the month of January, I was able to walk around during lunch hours and see that the kids are now composting on their own. At the end of the day, we donate most of our food waste to a local pig farmer.”
Director Jessie Kidd has observed several positive moments in school and says, “It’s exciting to see our students talk about their choices at GreenWood. I hear students say things like, “I have environmental stewardship when I pick up trash on the ground and when I help my friend be nice;” “I don’t drink chocolate milk because it has too much sugar and sugar makes me feel sick when I exercise;” and, “Basketball was so hard today, but I loved it because it challenged me!”
Here are a few other ways GreenWood’s initiatives are going green: All school field trips follow ‘Leave No Trace’ ethics. Community recycling programs and fundraisers have been adopted such as Greenfiber, Terracycle and Republic Service. School-wide recycling competitions are held between grades; art programs repurpose milk jugs & paper towel rolls; school communications are emailed to save paper and indoor plants are specifically selected to help remove airborne toxins such as ammonia and benzene.
Outside the front doors of GreenWood, you’ll see tall, wooden boxes or “Brigades.” Each of them houses specific recyclable materials such as toothbrushes, personal care & beauty, and writing instruments. Tillman enthusiastically states, “I want everybody to come here and recycle whether or not they have students in the school. I want GreenWood to be the community recycling center!”
