Food For Thought

By Natalie Swarts, PTA Eco-Schools Lead

An example of the some of the food wasted in a single day at La Mariposa.

Parent volunteers and campus supervisors have observed a tremendous amount of food being wasted on-campus.  Before Winter Break, we decided to try an experiment.  Volunteers stood next to the trash cans during lunch.  When students approached the trash cans, many were hesitant to throw away uneaten food, and they returned to their lunch tables to continue eating. Other students tried to wait until they thought a parent wasn’t looking, then they tossed their food in the trash and hurried back to their table.  At least a few students even tried to bury their uneaten food beneath other trash.  On the other hand, there were students who did not hesitate to throw away entire sandwiches, unopened cartons of milk and uneaten fruit.  Students seemed to show a broad range of awareness and opinions when it came to food waste.

Quick Facts:

• Americans waste about 25% of all food purchases.
• It is estimated that Americans throw away 20 pounds of food per person per month.
• 1 in 6 Americans do not have access to enough food to sustain a healthy life.

The average family could save over $1,600 a year by sending less food to the landfill. When we throw away food, we’re also wasting all the water, energy, and other resources used to produce, package and transport food to our plates.  Food is wasted when we: buy more than we need, store it incorrectly, throw away leftovers, cook too much.

The Environmental Protection Agency offers food waste reduction and prevention tips on their website.  Several of their suggestions can be applied to the La Mariposa community.  Click here to view the EPA Waste Reduction Tips.

Why reduce food waste?  

• Save Money
• Reduce Methane From Landfills – When food is disposed in a landfill it rots and becomes a significant source of methane – a potent greenhouse gas with 21 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide.
• Reduce Resource Use Associated with Food Production – There are many resources needed to grow food, including water, fertilizers, pesticides, and energy. By wasting food, we are also wasting the resources that went into growing it.
• Feed People, Not Landfills – An estimated 50 million Americans do not have access to enough food. Organizations can donate safe and healthy food to a food bank or food rescue organization and both reduce food sent to landfills and feed those in need.

Reduce Plate Waste by: 

• Observing what students consistently waste and changing school lunch menus (both packed and purchased) accordingly.
• Adjusting serving sizes based on what students actually eat.
• Reminding students to take only one or two items from the produce bar and to eat what they take.

Ideas for students to reduce food waste:

• Talk to your parents about what you like and what you don’t like.
• Be willing to try small portions of new foods.
• Save leftovers from lunch for an after-school snack.
• Recycle discards to other uses. Start a compost bin at home or participate in composting at school.

Want to learn more?  

• United Nations Food Waste FAQ
• Don’t Waste Your Food (article)
• A Place at the Table (documentary)
• Dive (documentary)

US Fish & Wildlife Visit La Mariposa

Michael Glenn, a biologist from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, visited La Mariposa to introduce students and staff to the concept of a Schoolyard Habitat.  The assembly included a PowerPoint presentation with several photos of native plants and animals that a Schoolyard Habitat at La Mariposa could provide homes for.  Mr. Glenn talked to students about endangered species and shared some success stories from the Ventura County area.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Schoolyard Habitat Program is designed to engage local communities in providing opportunities for children to experience and learn about natural resources through the planning and implementation of habitat restoration projects. Goals include:

• Building an understanding of and respect for nature and our environment
• Providing opportunities for hands-on learning, inquiry, observation and experimentation
• Providing habitat for local and migratory wildlife including birds, small mammals, reptiles, and insects
• Providing students with areas to explore, discover and play
• Creating opportunities for students to work cooperatively and to develop responsibility

If La Mariposa chooses to apply for a Schoolyard Habitat grant, students will be involved with the planning, implementation and ongoing care of the Schoolyard Habitat areas.  Students will help research plant options and select species that are native to our region and that match the soil and sunlight conditions of our site.

The National Wildlife Federation outlines some ways that Schoolyard Habitats link to academic curricula. (www.nwf.org)

• Science Standards: A Schoolyard Habitat serves as a living laboratory where students engage in hands-on inquiries into the natural world.
• Geography and Social Studies Standards: Geography and social studies involve understanding connections between people, social constructs and the environment, and the Schoolyard Habitat program can be applied successfully to help teach those connections by assisting students in understanding both space and place.
• Math Standards: A Schoolyard Habitat provides students with the opportunity to apply math concepts to the real world; whether estimating numbers of plants in an on-site plant community or looking for geometric shapes in nature, an outdoor area is full of mathematical wonders.

LM Receives Bronze Award from Eco-Schools

The Eco-Schools program models environmentally sound practices, provides support for greening the curriculum and enhances science and academic achievement.  The program is made up of seven steps, incorporating a variety of environmental pathways.  Once a school has registered and implemented these seven steps, it can apply for an Eco-Schools award. There are three levels of the award system. The first two levels are the Bronze and Silver. The top level is the Green Flag award. To be eligible for the Bronze Award, a school must accomplish the criteria under each of the Seven Steps below, and must apply online for the award.

To receive a Bronze Award, La Mariposa needed to earn 100 points by completing these seven steps:

1. Form an Eco-Action Team
2. Perform an Environmental Audit
3. Create an Eco-Action Plan
4. Monitor and Evaluate the Plan
5. Link to Curriculum
6. Involve the Community
7. Create an Eco-Code

This year, La Mariposa will focus on the Energy pathway and planning a Schoolyard Habitat.

Learn more…

• Press Release
• Award

For more information on the La Mariposa Eco-Schools or Schoolyard Habitat projects please contact Natalie Swarts.

Looking Back: Earth Week, Hands On Environmental Science Lessons

So…sometimes we get a little busy and don’t get articles published when we like, but we want to make sure we are sharing all the great stuff going on at La Maripsoa.  In that spirit, this week we will be publishing a few articles highlighting events that took place a little while ago.  We hope you enjoy them!

Earth Week 2013

La Mariposa observed Earth week April 15-19.  In partnership with local businesses and government agencies, students participated in five different grade specific hands on activities that focused on the science behind some of the choices we make in our lives and some of the changes we can make toward conservation.

Enviroscape:  City of Camarillo Stormwater Program

The City of Camarillo sent out their stormwater program manager to talk to fifth graders about water transfer–specifically, how water moves from our streets, yards, and gutters to storm drains and into our natural waterways.  They used an enviroscape model along with various sprinkles and spices to represent the different types of waste that gets distributed into our creeks and eventually our beaches and oceans.  All of this waste affects plant and animal habitats, as well as our own.  It really makes us think twice about what we leave in our yards and parks and what we spray in our backyards and on our plants.

Solar Power with Solar World

Solar World came out to show fourth graders the benefits of solar power and demonstrate how the panels worked.

Cooperative Seed Paper Project

Kindergarten and third grade buddies worked together to learn a lesson about recycling by making handmade seed paper with recycled paper and organic material.

2nd Graders Visit Limoneira

Second graders attended an assembly on Sustainable Agriculture.

The week following Earth Week, second graders took a field trip to Limoneira to reinforce lessons from the assembly.  They also learned about how solar power and a local water management strategy not only conserve our natural resources, but can also decrease the bottom line for business.

Composting: Harvesting Worm Castings

Composting is a great way to make use of organic waste.  Composting with worms, or vermicomposting, results in a beautiful and nutrient rich compost for our school gardens.  To keep our La Mariposa worms happy, our first graders harvested worm castings.

A huge thank you goes out to PTA Growing Green Chair, Natalie Swarts for organizing and arranging all of the Earth Week activities.

La Mariposa Student Eco Team Conducts Waste Audit

by Natalie Swarts, Eco Team Leader, La Mariposa PTA

“There is only so much room available for solid waste disposal, and because landfills are so tightly packed, it takes a great deal of time for material to decompose. The easiest way to reduce solid waste is to reduce your consumption of daily products. Be cautious of what you buy, and whether anything you are going to put in a trash can really belongs there.” Earth911.com

La Mariposa completed our first Waste Audit on December 13th.   Students and parents worked together to sort everything that was thrown away during an entire school day.  The Eco Team met on January 18th to discuss the Waste Audit results and talk about goals for reducing waste.  Take a look at the chart below:

54 lbs of unopened food was collected in a single day.

Participants were surprised to discover that we had 54 lbs of unopened food, including whole sandwiches, cartons of milk, bags of chips and untouched granola bars.  (picture) Additionally, we found almost 90 lbs of partially eaten food and 7 lbs of ziplock bags – from only one day!  In total, we threw away over 300 pounds of trash, which means our school likely sends over 54,000 lbs (or 24 tons) of waste to the landfill each year.

Student Comments & Suggestions

A Dirty But Successful Dirt Day

by Kelly Long, School Gardening Coordinator

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La Mariposa held their first Dirt Day October 27^th, 2012.  It was designed as a fun way to beautify our campus.  What a great opportunity to help the school, eat breakfast, dig in the dirt and have parents planting with their kids!  With the help of Baron Brothers Nursery and our groundsman Rick, beautiful drought

Consumption & Waste Reduction Focus of $500 Eco Schools Grant

By Natalie Swarts, La Mariposa PTA Growing Green Coordinator

La Mariposa received a $500 grant from Amgen to support the launch of Eco-Schools on our campus.    Eco-Schools is an international program that provides a framework to help educators integrate sustainable principles throughout their schools and curriculum.  The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) leads the U.S. Eco-Schools Program.  Through a school-based team of students, administrators, educators and community volunteers, Eco-Schools combines effective “greening” of the school grounds, the facilities and the curriculum.