Family and Consumer Sciences started using reusable tableware from the Going Green Club at Rachel Carson Middle School after spring break, to reduce the amount of single-use plastic.
“The main goal was to help Rachel Carson be more sustainable,” said Ms. Ellen Bickford, one of Rachel Carson’s Get2Green representatives. Ms. Patty Walsh, a science teacher on the Dream team, is Carson’s other Get2Green representative and co-leader of the Going Green Club.
According to Ms. Bickford, this school year, the county granted each school $2,500 for Get2Green projects. Planting and gardening were some ideas for what could be done with the money, but the Going Green Club wanted to do something different.
Ms. Bickford was trying to get rid of some of the single-use plastics at Carson, which is where the idea for switching RCMS’s FACS classes from disposable to reusable tableware came from.
Before Ms. Bickford became one of the Going Green Club’s leaders, Mr. Kirk Treakle ran the club and was a librarian at Carson until he retired.
“[Mr. Treakle is an] incredible environmental steward,” Ms. Bickford said. “Our ultimate goal was to make Mr. Treakle proud.”
Eco-Cycle is an organization whose goal is to eliminate waste in order for a better future. According to Eco-Cycle, paper napkins, plastic forks, and plastic spoons are all examples of single-use items. Single-use items are used once and then thrown away. This waste negatively impacts ecosystems, and altogether, the environment.
Before reusable tableware was used in FACS classes, it was used at the Valentine’s Day dance. According to Ms. Bickford, one of Rachel Carson’s Spanish teachers talked about possibly using it for a Spanish lesson about setting the table.
“Everyone will use it in the school,” said FACS teacher Ms. Heather Sullivan.
Eco-Cycle states that around 40 billion plastic spoons, forks, and knives are used every year in the United States.
Kathleen Xin, 12, on the Champions team likes the idea of a more environmentally-friendly alternative to single-use tableware.
“I think it sounds nice that we’re able to use reusable tableware instead of disposable ones because it can help the environment,” she said.
With the new reusable tableware, Ms. Sullivan can spend less money on disposable tableware, and more money on food.
“It’s saving the environment and saving us money,” Ms. Sullivan said.
While Ms. Sullivan likes the new tableware, she still finds some downsides to it.
The tableware has to be cleaned in the dishwasher, so on Fridays, Ms. Sullivan has to stay after school because it can’t be left in the dishwasher over the weekend.
“It can be inconvenient at times when I might want to get out of the building,” she said.
Before using the new tableware, Vivi Karki, 13, on the Champions team, said that she would probably like the previous single-use tableware better.
“It’s just way easier to throw away,” she said.
Vivi also said that while she thinks reusable tableware is better for the environment, she finds it slightly gross that people before her will have eaten off of the same plates and utensils.
Ms. Bickford attended a region-wide Get2Green meeting and shared what Rachel Carson did with the $2,500.
“I was a little nervous since it wasn’t on the recommendation list,” she said.
Instead, many who were at the meeting liked the idea, which inspired other schools to consider similar projects.
“[It’s] less paper, less waste, and more responsibility,” Ms. Sullivan said.
