FORT LEWIS MESA ‒ The Durango School District’s food waste program, run by students in a group called the Green Team, works to manage waste from school cafeterias and classrooms by collecting leftovers and donating them to local families to feed their pigs, ducks and chickens.
All district schools are involved in the Green Team program, but Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School is especially prolific in its operation of the program, given the school’s rural location and proximity to many faculty and family farms.
“Other schools do it, but we really are the front-runners being out here,” said Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School Principal Jenny Imel.
More than 70% of students at the school are from low-income families, said Durango School District spokeswoman Karla Sluis.
“This little elementary has really taken ownership of this cool program,” Sluis said. “Since Breen does include some struggling families, a little thoughtful giving from the school goes a long way.”
Student Green Team members comb through waste bins and sort food scraps in the cafeteria from lunch. They also collect buckets stored in each classroom for food waste to ensure they’re all in one place and ready for pickup by locals looking to feed their farm animals with the leftovers.
Food waste categories in the cafeteria include meat, cheese, eggs, fruits, veggies, grains and liquids. Ensuring scraps make it into the right bins is a student-run effort.
The Green Team program has been going strong for three years at Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School, and fifth grader Camaryn Gjedde has been a part of the program since its inception.
She said her favorite part about the program is getting to help the community and feed local animals.
Third grader and Green Team Member Brycen Hadden, who donned rubber gloves to help his fellow students sort scraps in the cafeteria after lunch Friday, said his favorite part about being in the program is getting to go into every classroom at the end of the day to roundup all the buckets.
According to Hadden, the third graders learn a lot about how to be good Green Team members by watching the experienced fourth and fifth graders.
Loni Story-House, a nurse at the school, said her pigs love the scraps.
“Pigs love everything,” Story-House said. “They are very close to humans in their biology. All of the foods that benefit us will benefit them. Having the school scraps really helps with the amount of feed we purchase for our pigs and chickens.”
Ron Reed, Green Team overseer and district manager of custodial services, said the work of the Green Team students inspires him.
“They are my daily reminder that true change begins with a single idea, and true leadership is leading by example,” Reed said. “I’ve had to roll up my sleeves and participate in their ideas right next to them. It’s been really heartwarming to hear stories about how Green Team’s school projects are carrying over into student’s homes.”
epond@durangoherald.com
