Hello from Yolo Middle School in Newman!

We started our EMM last week on Friday (because every Friday matters, too!).  We started by collecting all the garbage from one school day.  The custodial staff helped by collecting and placing it in the student quad for everyone to see.  It was a central location that all students have to walk by as they come on campus.  It was set out bright and early, and we created posters with the data from the binder you gave us.  You will see in the pictures how we set it up.  My daughter took the pictures and I video taped the reactions from students and teachers.  It really created an awareness as to how much garbage is produced in one day!

The principal announced the display over the p.a. during morning announcements, so that students could take a closer look on their way to and from classes.  He also announced the (approximate) total number of garbage bags that the five schools in our district would create in one year…40,500!

When it was time to clean up, students from Mr. Poggi’s class came to help load up my truck to take the bags to the dumpster.  The students were disgusted that the bags were dripping with milk and gnats were swarming about.  On Monday, I visited their classroom and we brainstormed on ways to reduce some of the “yuck” in the garbage.  Students came up with the plan to work in the cafeteria during lunch time, helping to educate the other students on disposing of their lunch waste.  We will have one garbage can for students to dump their food waste into.  A table will be set up between garbage cans for collecting unopened milk (which can be re-served) with a bucket to pour the opened but unfinished milk into, which can later be poured down the drain.  The students will help others stack their trays neatly, which will then be placed into a garbage bag to reduce the amount of bags used.  Finally, the students will record how much garbage has reduced during this process. They will monitor the cafeteria daily, and as time progresses, they will scale back and observe, seeing if the students are able to keep up on their own, with less supervision.  We will place challenges out to the students of both lunches, offering snow cones to the lunch group that can continue what we’ve started without needing to be hovered over.