The Creation of a School-Wide Composting Program to be run by the Eighth Grade Students at Parkside School in Wautoma, Wisconsin

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to create a school-wide program which will be run by the 8th grade students to compost all food waste products at Parkside School in Wautoma. Eighty-two percent of the 525 students at Parkside School eat hot lunch on a daily basis. The other eighteen percent either eat cold lunch or do not eat. Federal regulations require that they be served a portion of each of the major food groups, even if they do not want to take it. This leads to a huge amount of food waste generated on a daily basis. Having students develop and implement a composting program prevents this waste from going to a landfill or through a garbage disposal to the water treatment plant. Just as important, it provides students with an opportunity to learn about an environmental problem and develop the citizen action skills to deal with it, empowering them with the knowledge that even though they are still children, they can make a difference. Students who grow up with this knowledge and hands-on experience are much more likely to become adults who will continue to value the environment and become actively involved in its protection.