The Compost Caf. Project
Made Possible By Youth Venture and the @15 Challenge!
Stay Updated:
Our Current Phase:
October 12th: Our school advisor's younger brother is going to build our compost pile! We have all materials purchased and the compost should be built within the next two weeks. Check back for photos and updates.
If this site is approved, then we will have plowed access to the compost year round!
What's Next?:
The Green Teens will be in contact with prospective builders-- it seems like the compost may be able to go up soon!
How You Can Help:
Know of a lumber yard or hardware store that would be willing to donate materials to our club to help build the compost? Have any tips for us? E-mail your information to greenteensus@gmail.com, thanks!
Project Details:
What Is The @ 15 Challenge?
Green Teens were one of 15 winners of the@ 15 Challenge, a grant awarding clubs across the United States $10,000 to accomplish their goals! The contest was sponsored by Best Buy and Youth Venture!
Thanks to all who voted!
About The Compost Caf. Project:
The Compost Caf. Project was initiated by the Green Teens in the Spring of 2008, but is now just getting started. The goal of the project is to transform the E.O. Smith Cafeteria (and then spread the project to other schools) into a compost production center rather than a wasteful lunch room.
How Will We Reach Our Goal?
First we will create a compost bin at our school’s land lab (down the street). Compost will be trucked here roughly one to two times per week (dependent on weather, temperature, etc.)
- The compost will be initiated into the cafeteria in 3 phases. First, we will place bins in the kitchen. We will ask the food service department to place all spare foodscraps in the bins, instead of the garbage. Next, we will introduce the bins into our high school’s cafeteria, starting with the smallest lunch section (second lunch). After a few weeks we will perform a waste analysis. If we need to continue focusing on only second lunch, than so be it; however, if at all possible we will enter the third phase of lunch composting, launching the project in the two other lunches.
- We will continue to perform routine waste analyses, by checking what is inside the compost bins we will be able to see what we must advocate for/restrict.
- The compost will be brought down to the pile, first by club members & families, then by volunteers.
- The compost will be turned as instructed to ensure high quality, all natural soil is produced!
- As soon as the composting phase of the project has become routine, Green Teens will work with the school to purchase environmentally friendly, biodegradable napkins, plates, and trays. Since the new lunch-ware will be made out of vegetable starches, they will also be thrown directly into the compost pile.
- Green Teens will purchase metal forks, spoons, knives and bowls for the school. Though E. O. Smith High School’s cafeteria was not built to wash dishes, the staff feels as though they can manage to clean these objects.
- Once the project is established in the high school (estimated: 1 school year), leftover money designated for The Compost Caf. Project will be used to implement the project into other area schools!
Benefits of the Project
-Increased environmental awareness throughout the student and faculty bodies
-Close to zero-waste cafeteria setting
-Compost will go back to the school (Agriculture Dept., Science Dept., etc.)
-School will no longer have to pay for shipments of plastic forks, spoons, knives, and bowls.
-Less waste for garbage company to truck away
-Initial expense to build compost & purchase lunch-ware, after that relatively low cost project.
Motivation
One isparation for Green Teens and The Compost Caf. Project was when we found out that our school burns most of its garbage. The group initially aimed to replace just Styrofoam with biodegradable materials, but learned that this will have little benefit due to the process of incineration. The group also learned that an area elementary school has been composting for a number of years, and with great success. The school even sells some of the soil to parents as a fund raiser. Green Teens realized that we could eliminate a lot of our school's waste in a productive way, creating new, nutrient-rich soil for the use of our school's Agriculture and Science Departments. Though, unlike the elementary schools in the area, our school was not built to wash or re-use much of anything, Green Teens realized that with a little creativity this could be changed fairly easily. The school agreed to wash flatware and bowls as long as Green Teens helped provide them. Once the group found an approved location for a compost bin at our school's "Land Lab", we realized The Compost Caf. Project could easily succeed at E. O. Smith High School—and hopefully at other schools as well!