No Garbage in Schools

 I recently wrote this proposal as a challenge to the Juneau Montessori School, where I worked for 5 years and my son attends school. I'm hoping it will inspire a turning of the trash-conscious corner and bring families, staff, and students into a more intimate contact with and contemplation of their garbage. I think this is all a very important part of taking care of our community and the Earth, and it also teaches the children respect and responsibility. A big part of Montessori is fostering compassion for and taking care of people and the Earth, and my garbage solution is something that is very applicable to that end. My hope is that JMS will take this challenge seriously--to its fullest extent--then serve as a model for other schools. Juneau has 12 public schools with about 5,000 children; there's a lot trash to debunk! 

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What if our school had no garbage? It seems like major impossibility, I know, but it's really not too far-fetched. Let's think about what typically goes into a classroom trash can.

I believe the number one culprit is paper, and that is actually the easiest thing to remove from the trash can. Recycling has come a long way at JMS, but there's still some work to be done. Each and every scrap of paper needs to be recycled. I could even see Paper Shredding and Recycling as a work for the shelves, which could even lead to paper making. Ultimately, what our children put in the trash is product of the adult world. After all, we give them everything they ever "throw out" anyway. It is up to adults to educate children on waste management through accurate phrasing and precise actions. I am always very careful to term things "garbage." Paper isn't garbage; it's an ingredient in making more paper, and it needs to be sorted and saved. If we as adults throw just one piece of paper into the trash, however small, we are telling the children that recycling is an option, not the way things are; then the paper starts to pile up as garbage. 

To prevent the pile-up from even being possible, having a ridiculously small trash can is key.  A few summers ago I actually experimented with this in the classroom. I removed the 2 five-gallon trash cans from the classroom and replaced them with two 5 gallon recycle bins and a beautiful 2 quart crock for the trash. I was vigilant and diligent about the matter, and soon the children were too. Putting a piece of actual trash in the crock became something they were really conscious of, a stark contrast to their former haphazard tosses into the bottomless trash can pit.

So what was in that crock? Packaging. Ziploc bags abound. Some make it home with left-overs, but I can't help but think they're just getting trashed there. While these bags might seem miniscule when crumpled, they add up in surprising ways. Some children have more and some have fewer, but I'd say it averages to each child having two bags to throw away each day. 60 children, 120 bags a day, 600 bags a week, and so forth extrapolated through the years. This should make you gasp. And the thing that's so astonishing is that all this trash is for absolutely nothing. Reusable containers of all sorts can replace these throw-aways. An empty spice jar can hold nuts, a Tupperware can hold grapes. I use cloth pouches with a velcro closure to hold all dry goods. In addition to being beautiful, reusable packaging, even the tiniest child can open the pouch, leading to the "I did it all by myself" triumph that every child enjoys.

Beyond the plastic baggies, there are yogurt containers and fruit cups that are made of non-recyclable plastic. The question to ask here is, are these items necessary? Yes, drastic, but not unreasonable. If adults base their purchases on packaging, producers will have to change their packages. It's a cycle that needs to start with us, now. Skip all packaging and buy fresh fruit! Bulk dried fruit (in your own cloth bags), or fruit in a recyclable tin can or glass jar also work. Then pack the fruit for a lunch in your own re-usable containers. It actually doesn't take any extra time besides washing the containers afterward, and even then you'll be rewarded when you don't have to buy plastic bags or pay to throw them away. Yogurt is a little more tricky. Not many brands have #2 plastic containers, but some do. Be scrupulous. Better yet, buy a recyclable jug of milk and make your own yogurt. It's comically easy and once you try it you'll wonder why you ever wasted your time with the store-bought stuff. You seriously heat the milk up, add culture, and let it sit for 3 hours in a water bath. Add fruit, jam, or honey to make it flavored.

This brings us to the third, and final thing in the trash: food. If we remind our adult selves of the ever-important accurate phrasing and precise actions, the problem here will be solved instantly. Food isn't garbage; it's an ingredient in compost. I encourage families to have their own compost pile or worm bin. They are relatively easy, especially for the benefits they reap.  The Co-operative Extension Service has bulletins on both, and I can also provide guidance. The school actually has a compost bin in the garden, but it hasn‘t been utilized yet this school year. I recently dug through it and it was full of luscious, finished compost and active worms. I harvested it all just before the winter break and used it to set up the worm bin and build new raised beds in the upper JMS parking lot. The kids can resume composting in both ways at school anytime--all they need is adult guidance to get started. Even before the composting, though, should come portion control. Can your child really eat 5 different items at lunch or a whole lid-less Yoplait? Remember, children are responsible for unpacking and packing up their own lunches. If a child has to spend a good part of lunch unpacking items, chances are they will not have time to finish eating them all. And when the lunch bell rings, chances are pretty good that the food will get tossed rather than repacked and saved for another day. Even if it does get repacked, who wants to eat pretzels that have been mixed with pineapple? Being realistic about what we put in our childrens’ lunches can go a long way, both in terms of food waste and waste management.

What else is in the trash?? Not much. The office and kitchen trash fall into the same categories. If we can religiously recycle paper, eliminate plastic packaging, and compost our food, I guarantee the trash load (and bill) will drop dramatically. I'd challenge the parents and staff to this radical waste management scheme, but I know that it won't be challenging! Rather, I ask that you'll make a no-trash resolution and give this all a try! I am available for assistance, advice, or whatever else is needed to get this venture underway. If you'd like more information about reducing trash at school, home, or in the workplace, feel free to contact me. Thanks for reading!

Winter Gardening

Work in the garden is never done. While many may think of winter as a time to make To-Do lists and dream of the bounty while flipping through seed catalogs, my winters are quite busy. I was pulling carrots at Thanksgiving, and there are still a few leaves of kale holding on after the New Year, ready to pick. While these items in the hoop house are the exception to fall and winter gardening, they do provide gourmet fair and are quite exciting from a northern gardening standpoint.

 

Yesterday I built another compost bin, giving me a total of six 4x4x4 bins. Three are full and aging, one is half full, and two are empty and waiting for the Composting Co-Op. To a bystander they're not pretty, but I know the gold they yield, and to me they shine.

 

Other things to do in the garden in January?  Building new beds, creating lattice supports, clearing blueberry bushes for new paths and beds, hauling wood down and out (Atlin cut some monster trees in the garden this fall), designing new spaces, making crop rotation maps, building bat boxes, researching amphibian habitats, getting nest boxes ready......Do you think I'm bored? 

One thing I've learned trying to farm in Southeast Alaska is that you have to let go of your idea of farming. It's not endless rows and rototillers, watermelons or honey bees. It's not the overbearing tomato plants and 5-pound zucchinis. The breadth of what we can grow is limited compared to more fertile, warmer places, yet the variety that we can produce and procure is quite astounding. Hunting and gathering are a big part of farming here--definitely unconventional farming, yet it is farming. All you do is the harvest and preparation/preservation aspect--you just show up to what the land and sea have already sowed and cared for. If we acknowledge this as Southeast farmers, gardeners, and eaters, we can really broaden our production and localize our plates. Here, the forests and oceans are as vital to sustainability as our garden plots themselves, and the more knowledge and practice we have with this unorthodox method of farming, the more we will be astonished and self-fed.