Plastic, one-time use silverware, is significant in producing greenhouse gas emissions. When plastic silverware is "recycled,"  it often still ends up in landfills and incinerators. Even when properly recycled, the plastic is burned and melted through a process called extrusion. Extrusion contributes to multiple environmental issues including resource depletion, greenhouse gas emissions, and landfill waste.

Having plastic silverware in our school used by hundreds of students each day was a big problem to us. Our club put lots of effort into making a change. 

With passion and determination, and the help of administrators as well as cafeteria staff, our club transitioned our school cafeteria from plastic, single use utensils, to reusable silverware. While the process wasn't easy, it has been relatively successful and makes a great difference. This is great progress, but there is still lots more to be done.

We are currently facing issues with the silverware disappearing at a rapid pace. Whether students are accidentally throwing it away, or bringing it home, this will cause our progress to come to a halt. 

Our silverware was provided to us by (ask Jessie!!) In planning for the future, we have a large back-up supply of silverware that has been recycled and thrifted, for moments like this, when pieces get lost, or end up in the trash. However, at the pace we are losing the silverware, it is necessary that we come up with another plan. 

The club's plan of action is to bring back a garbage and recycling organization system (as pictured on the left) during school lunch. This system thrived in the past before falling through after the hit of Covid. Disposables fall under the categories of recycling, compost, or trash. To help reduce the loss of utensils, alongside will be a designated bin for the silverware. In the near future, we hope to have a (liquid incinerator?? - what is it called) to properly dispose of liquids as well. 

This will require patience and understanding from all students at Nauset, but considering the middle school and most elementary schools have similar concepts in place, this system should not be an issue.

We want to give a special thanks to Mr. Yuen for his guidance and support throughout the process of this project. It would not have been possible without his help. Thank you uen! 

Feedback

After speaking with fellow students around the school, this project has had a great impact on lots of people. While it may take and extra moment or two to put things away after lunch, many students take this time to reflect on what is happening in the current world around us. It is heartwarming to know that our community understands the importance of what we have done. Students have also explained that "I feel satisfied leaving the cafeteria knowing I did my part in helping." 

Works Cited

adeptcorp.com

I am so grateful to have been apart of such a wonderful and supportive community all throughout high school! Being apart of Green Club has shown me that I can put my passions into action, and that change is always possible. I am so excited to take everything I’ve learned from Green Club with me on my future environmental endeavors, and I know that Green Club members to come will continue to do great things! 

Climate change is a topic that is extremely important to me. Growing up in such a diverse community, with oceans and ponds and woodlands, has given me a great appreciation for the outdoors. I joined the Nauset Green Club at the end of my sophomore year. Not only have I met an incredible group of people, I have shared my passions for creating change with them. I have become a change agent for the sustainability of the world around me, starting with the school grounds. I love attending special events, like the Net Zero Conference, and I especially love volunteering at the farmers markets with green threads. I feel a special sense of community being surrounded by such inspirational people.  One of my favorite things i've learned is how to practice sustainability from a local female business owner that I met at one of the farmers markets. She created Green Road Refill which directs people towards a greener lifestyle through natural and earth-conscious products. The Nauset Green Club has presented me with countless opportunities and lessons. It has helped me practice skills of community outreach, leadership development, having an open mind, and ultimately creating change. I am extremely thankful to have been a part of such a bright group. 

Joining Nauset's Green Club opened my horizons to our troubled environment in unexpected ways. After hearing about the club and its initiatives through some classmates, I began attending the meetings where we organize beach cleanups, launch initiatives for things like replacing the plastic silverware in the cafeteria with metal, and discuss the harms of fast fashion and overconsumption. I started volunteering for Green Threads, the club's thrift store, where our focus keeps clothes out of landfills. We organize clothing drives to sell the donated clothes at low prices at a farmers market every weekend, which is something that I find very rewarding. By getting involved in this organization, I got to meet many interesting people and business owners, discuss all sorts of green practices in day to day life, and learn about everyone's ways of helping the environment. Between farmers regulating fertilizer use and families only wearing thrifted clothes, I’m inspired to continue doing my part in being more environmentally responsible.

The survival of our home, our planet Earth, is key, and there is much work to be done to ensure its health and safety. Throughout my upbringing on Cape Cod, I have forged a bond with nature, from exploring tide pools, to fishing, surfing, and walks in the protected lands. I learned about different ecosystems and intertwining food webs through Mass Audubon, solidifying my understanding of the importance of biodiversity. Over the course of my life, I have slowly watched industrialization reaching the ocean. This has led me to commit to Florida Tech for Ocean Engineering to protect its environment, and find sustainable solutions for our developing world of technology. I joined Nauset Green Club in my freshman year, and since then I have helped numerous beach clean ups, attended several climate action summits, and helped integrate silverware and compost into the cafeteria. Green Club has helped me take action in my local community and school to educate others.