The Green Club, led by student David Luongo and teachers Mr. Jones and Ms. Cope, recently started a compost initiative to reduce the school’s landfill waste. Composting is the process of decomposing organic compounds into a black, usable organic material called compost rather than letting them remain waste products; the compost can then be added to the soil to fertilize plants. All yard scraps, like grass clippings or twigs, and non-animal food products can be composted. This means that items such as apple cores, banana peels, and paper towels can be collected, turned into compost and used to create nutrient-rich soil. Yard and food scraps make up about 25-50% of what we throw away, so composting greatly reduces waste and helps the planet.
The Green Club has placed small compost bins in several of the teachers’ classrooms around school; any compostable food leftovers can be recycled rather than be placed in a landfill. In the Valmont Courtyard, there is a bin designated for compost, so after lunch, a student or teacher can empty their small compost bin into the larger one outside. Mr. Jones will then use this compost for his community gardens in the Lower and Upper Ninth Ward. The Green Club is not the only group at Newman creating ways to help the environment right at school. The club Actions has also started a green initiative of their own, encouraging students to bring in their own utensils to reduce plastic waste.
So after lunch, don’t forget to put your leftover vegetables and fruit peels in the compost bin to reduce waste and help the planet!