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Composting: Teachers Love It—and It's SavingSchools Money

Going green has never had so many benefts.

Composting is catching on at schools where it's renewing unexpected resources. (Photo: iStock)

OCT 9, 2013

A Bay Area native, Andri Antoniades has previos!y "or#ed as a $ashion indstry %orna!ist and a medi&a! "riter.

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'&hoo!s a&ross Ameri&a are in&reasing!y adopting a pra&ti&e that not on!y saves them thosands o$ do!!ars and

benefts the environment, bt o(ers stdents hands)on pro%e&ts that &orrespond to the &rri&!m at every grade

!eve!. 'rprising!y enogh, this sensationa! pra&ti&e is &omposting.

*ar!y to the green bin game, 'an +ran&is&o a!ready had the in$rastr&tre in the 90s to be the frst to p!a&e the

re&epta&!es in s&hoo! &a$eterias, and no" at !east -0 per&ent o$ the &itys pb!i& s&hoo!s have them. ot

srprising!y, o$ the other distri&ts "ith strong s&hoo! &omposting programs are /ort!and and 'eatt!e, as "e!! as

many other distri&ts in Oregon and ashington state.

 Tamar r"it, environmenta! ed&ation manager at the 'an +ran&is&o epartment o$ the *nvironment, says shes

shared start)p in$ormation "ith many mni&ipa!ities, !i#e Cambridge, 4A, enver, CO, and even rra! Be!!ingham,

A. o" that peop!e are !earning the ro!e it p!ays in red&ing greenhose gas, r"it says, 5Composting is today

"hat re&y&!ing "as in the -0s.5 6n other "ords, its abot to e7p!ode.

http://www.takepart.com/author/andri-antoniadeshttp://www.takepart.com/article/2013/05/03/composting-at-homehttp://www.takepart.com/article/2013/05/03/composting-at-homehttp://www.takepart.com/article/2013/05/03/composting-at-homehttp://www.takepart.com/teachhttp://www.takepart.com/article/2013/05/03/composting-at-homehttp://www.takepart.com/author/andri-antoniades

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'in&e e" 8or# state !an&hed its s&hoo! organi& "aste &o!!e&tion pi!ot program at the beginning o$ the 2012)2013

s&hoo! year, 1 s&hoo!s and 1: &o!!eges have ta#en part, "ith 10 more in the pro&ess o$ %oining. One o$ those

s&hoo!s is the 'yra&se A&ademy o$ '&ien&e Charter '&hoo!, "hi&h the Utica Obserer!"ispatch reports saved more

than ;,000 anna!!y in trash disposa! $ees, "hi&h rn abot ;:0 per ton.

4ary '&h"ar, e7tension spport spe&ia!ist $or the Corne!! aste 4anagement 6nstitte, says that p to -0 per&ent

o$ typi&a! s&hoo! ids are a!so separated

ot, on!y abot fve per&ent o$ "hat gets thro"n in the garbage is a&ta! trash. ?ea!iing that, more s&hoo!s have

"i!!ing!y adopted &omposting programs to save on "aste management &osts.

?*@AT*

Not Trashy: The Top 6 North American Cities Tackling ood !aste

Bt there are $rther e&onomi& benefts to the pro&ess. Compost, "hi&h is the ri&h sbstan&e &reated $rom

de&omposed organi& materia!s, &an be sed as a soi! &onditioner $or s&hoo! gardens, !ands&aping, and ath!eti&

fe!ds, preventing the need $or &ost!y and environmenta!!y damaging $erti!iers.

Bt the benefts hard!y stop there.

Christine ?obertson, the dire&tor o$ ed&ation at*arth ay et"or#, an environmenta! mbre!!a GO organiing the

Green '&hoo!s Campaign, says that &omposting &ontains an important ed&ationa! opportnityengenderingpersona! a&&ontabi!ity among stdents and $a&!ty.

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 56Dm rea!!y happy that a !ot o$ "hat "e started is rn by the stdents,5 Cha!oner says. 5They $ee! that they o"n it

and thatDs rea!!y important.5

hi!e a s&hoo!s administration or gronds team may be the ones to introd&e &omposting, tea&hers a!so &an ta#e

the initiative by ta!#ing to their prin&ipa!, maintenan&e, or &a$eteria sta(, or by p!anning a sma!! &!assroom pro%e&t,

sing mini &ompost bins "ith their stdents.

@o&a! "aste management departments or non)proft organiations !i#e the Corne!! aste 4anagement

6nstitte provide resor&es $or interested ed&ators and s&hoo!s. And "ith them, s&hoo!s interested in a !arger

program &an strategie "hether o()site &omposting is the appropriate option, or "hether its pre$erab!e to #eep the

pro&ess on s&hoo! gronds so the &ompost &an be sed $or !ands&aping, gardening, and e7panded ed&ationa!

opportnities.

A s&hoo!"ide program genera!!y begins "ith a &are$! ana!ysis o$ the s&hoo!Ds trash. 4ary '&h"ar re$ers to it as a