Waste Management & Reduction
Recycling Programs Underway
“We currently consume 1.4 planets worth of global resources each year. From September 23rd on, we’re eating into the natural capital, undermining its ability to produce for the future. We’re consuming on credit and accumulating ecological debt that we have no way to repay.”
–Annie Leonard, The Story of Stuff
Rowland Hall is working to create a community that is truly aware of the energy and environmental costs associated with resource consumption, recycling and waste elimination and works to minimize these costs. In the past few years, the school has reduced waste by eliminating water bottles from the Lower School cafeteria (34,000/year), paper plates and cups from the Beginning School and paper through electronic mailings. The 5-Year Action plan has a set of ambitious but realistic goals for reducing waste (link).
Since 2006, the school has had an effective recycling program for paper plastics and aluminum, but we are challenging ourselves to do better.
In the spring of 2009, Upper School students in the Sustainability Class will work with Momentum Recycling to audit paper consumption in the school. They’ll determine how much paper is purchased per year and then determine the fate of that paper as it moves through the school. They’ll use the results of their paper audit to devise ways to minimize use and maximize recycling.
The school is also exploring how to best integrate composting our lunch waste, which will greatly decrease the school’s contribution to the landfill; currently cafeteria waste makes up 25% of the school’s “footprint.”
