Happy Earth Day! Today, I visited Lenz Elementary for their “Waste Free Lunch Challenge.” Lenz Elementary parents formed a green team to increase students’ awareness of waste reduction, recycling and stewardship of the Earth. Students were encouraged to pack a “waste free” lunch, with nothing going into the landfill. If students packed a “waste-free” lunch they were given a raffle ticket for a reusable water bottle. KTMB contributed to the event by showing our Waste Warriors video during each lunch hour. The video introduced students to these fascinating facts.
- We send the equivalent of 700 elephants to the Lockwood Landfill every day.
- The number one thing we throw away is food.
- One quarter of kids in Washoe County might not get either breakfast, lunch or dinner every day.
- An aluminum can only takes six weeks to go from your recycling bin to a store shelf again.
- Natural processes like decomposition and biodegradation need water. In our desert climate, what’s dumped, stays dumped.
Lenz Elementary students responded to the challenge with enthusiasm. None of the garbage cans or recycling bins were filled to the brim when the lunch period ended. The students were also reminded how important it is to be a “Waste Warrior” every day, not just on Earth Day!
by Jaime Souza
