During the 2024–2025 school year, Carver Elementary implemented a student-led composting program to reduce cafeteria food waste, foster environmental stewardship, and enhance place-based learning. Rooted in the EcoSchools Framework, this action addressed multiple certification pathways—Curriculum, Waste, Community and Leadership, and School Grounds—and followed the full Seven-Step Process, including student-driven decision-making, community collaboration, and impact evaluation.

The initiative began with a schoolwide education campaign. Students learned about decomposition, microorganisms, and the role of composting in natural systems through classroom instruction, Outdoor Education labs, and hands-on inquiry. Our Eco-Action Team, supported by 5th-grade science teachers and Outdoor Ed staff, introduced the school to composting as a sustainability strategy and proposed a plan for cafeteria food scrap diversion. They conducted an audit of the cafeteria's daily waste stream, created informative signage, and designed a system for food scrap collection and compost maintenance.

To implement the action, a core group of student leaders known as Compost Captains was formed. These students manage the program on a daily basis. During their lunch period, Compost Captains supervise food scrap collection using compost buckets they made from recycled materials—repurposed ice cream tubs. Scraps are delivered to our compost bins during Outdoor Education classes, where students mix in carbon-rich materials like grass clippings and shredded leaves. Captains also monitor the bin’s condition, turning and balancing the compost regularly during recess. They lead peer education by teaching fellow students what is compostable, how the process works, and why it matters for the environment. They even chose the location of the compost bin, designed all instructional materials, and presented their system during Earth and Arts Night to families and community members.

The project was supported by staff members, parent volunteers, and local sustainability advocates who helped troubleshoot logistics, build awareness, and sustain the system through breaks. The initiative was intentionally low-waste and student-designed, aligning with national best practices in schoolyard sustainability. All 4th and 5th grade students were involved either through the lunchroom process, compost lab investigations, or Outdoor Ed sessions. Our 5th grade science curriculum used the compost system as a living lab to explore decomposers, energy flow, nutrient cycling, and earth systems, directly aligning with the Georgia Standards of Excellence and NGSS.

The composting program had measurable environmental, academic, and emotional impacts. Students diverted dozens of pounds of food waste weekly from landfills, developing a working understanding of ecological cycles through firsthand observation. Teachers reported deeper engagement in science instruction, particularly in units involving soil, microbes, and sustainability. Social-emotionally, students developed confidence and leadership through public speaking, peer education, and environmental advocacy. The Compost Captains expressed pride in creating something lasting and useful for the school, and students have begun proposing additional green infrastructure ideas based on the success of this initiative.

This action transformed a simple bin of food scraps into a powerful, student-led system of ecological care—one that will continue to grow as part of Carver’s long-term commitment to sustainability and environmental leadership.

Our school-based composting is student-run and managed by our Compost Captains. Each day during lunch, the Captains collect food scraps and gives the collection bin to the Outdoor Education class. The Outdoor Education class students add the scraps to the compost bin. During recess, our Compost Captains turn the Compost Bin and inspect its contents. They also add grass clippings and other yard waste to the bin. The Compost Captains are responsible for communicating and educating other students on what to compost, how the compost bin works, and encouraging students to compost their food waste in the bin. The Team chose the location for the bin, made the composting bucket out of recycled materials (an ice cream bucket), and made the composting signage out of recycled materials (an old political sign). 

COMPOST COLLECTION BUCKETS

Students made our compost collection buckets out of recycled ice cream buckets. They covered the ice cream buckets in white duct tape and then drew on the bucket with black sharpie. These buckets have a handle and are the perfect size for passing around the lunchroom. They are also waterproof and easy to wash. 

Camp Wildcat and the Guardians independently identified which metrics to track and then used that information to fine-tune our compost and vermicomposting systems. Led by the Compost Captains, they conducted compost monitoring, adjusted green-to-brown ratios, and scheduled bin turnings. This student-driven approach ensured our bins remained active, and our worms thrived, while giving the students agency over the entire project.

Place-Based Learning
At Carver, every student participates in our on-campus compost and vermicompost stations—collecting cafeteria scraps, garden clippings, and paper waste to observe decomposition in real time. By tending bins located right next to our pollinator garden, learners witness firsthand how organic matter transforms into nutrient-rich soil for our campus habitats.

Systems Thinking
Through composting and vermicomposting, students connect food waste, soil health, nutrient cycling, and plant growth as parts of a single ecological loop. Tracking moisture, temperature, and decomposition stages in their field journals, they see how imbalances (too much “green” or “brown” material) impact the entire system.

Action Competency
Guardians of the Triangle designed compost-turning protocols, and trained peers to monitor the bin. Their leadership ensured the compost stayed active, vermicompost worms thrived, and finished compost was ready for use in our habitats and pollinator beds.

Community as Classroom
Carver’s compost program is supported by the Richmond Hill Garden Club and Carver families, which donated worms and our compost bin station. We also shared compost with the Richmond Hill Elementary School garden, which extends learning beyond the bin and into the wider community.

Throughout our composting project, Carver students have driven every aspect of the work—from filling our bin system to leading peer training sessions. Guardians of the Triangle researched best practices, drafted “Compost Crew” protocols, and facilitated weekly bin checks, empowering classmates to balance greens and browns, monitor temperature, and troubleshoot issues. Students recorded observations in their journals, reflected on what adjustments improved decomposition, and presented recommendations to staff for next steps. By coordinating volunteer efforts, teaching “Compost 101” workshops for peers, and mentoring families during Earth & Arts Night, they transformed a simple waste‐reduction task into a model of authentic youth leadership and civic engagement.

Carver’s composting initiative was designed so that every student—regardless of ability, language background, or prior experience—could participate meaningfully in waste reduction and soil-building. Adaptive tools such as lightweight collection bins made physical handling accessible for students with mobility challenges. Our “Compost Crew” paired peers across grade levels and abilities, fostering mentorship and ensuring that all voices were heard when diagnosing bin conditions or proposing improvements. By centering accessibility, language inclusion, and peer support, Carver turned composting into an equitable, community-driven learning experience.

Carver’s composting initiative advances SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities by transforming food scraps and yard waste into nutrient-rich soil that enriches our school gardens, reduces landfill burden, and models circular waste management for our community. It supports SDG 13: Climate Action by cutting methane emissions from organic waste, sequestering carbon in our compost piles, and teaching students how small behavior changes—like separating organics—can mitigate climate impacts. Finally, by returning finished compost to our pollinator gardens, rain gardens, and bioswale plantings, we bolster SDG 15: Life on Land, improving soil health, enhancing plant diversity, and creating vibrant habitats that support insects, birds, and other wildlife across Carver’s 50-acre campus.

Building on this year’s success, Carver Elementary will scale its composting initiative by expanding “Compost Crew” participation to every grade level and installing larger, multi-bin systems to accommodate increased organic waste. Beginning in the 2025–26 school year, we will introduce classroom-specific mini-bins that feed into vermicompost stations, allowing students across all grades to contribute daily. Guardians of the Triangle will mentor new teams, ensuring consistent protocols as we grow. We also plan to integrate a digital compost-tracking dashboard so students can monitor bin conditions in real time and adjust moisture or green-to-brown ratios as needed. These enhancements will deepen hands-on learning, amplify waste diversion across the school, and solidify composting as a cornerstone of Carver’s living laboratory for environmental stewardship.