The Bulkeley Middle School environmental club is making a difference in the school community and beyond by collecting compost for Laughing Fox Farm in Red Hook to use in enriching its soil to grow crops.
“Our ultimate goal was to reduce or stop food waste in our school and that’s through composting,” said eighth grader Clara Orr. “Instead of putting food with the trash, we’d separate the food into a separate bin that would go to a farm and become soil. It’s very nutrient rich, which helps plants grow.”
Guest speakers came to club meetings to meet with students and help prepare them for this process. Mary Burns of the Rhinebeck Climate Smart Task Force visited before the winter break to share information about the village’s sustainability programs. Village trustee Vanessa Bertozzi, waste reduction consultant Renee Panetta and Climate Smart Task Force’s Dorna Schroeter came after the break to provide mentoring and help students practice their presentations.
Club members Josey Martin, Alida Martin, Cyan Stiker and Orr visited middle school science classes Jan. 14 and 15 to educate students on the importance of composting. Student Andrea Reyes Ramirez, who handled Google slides management, supported them.
Composting started in the cafeteria on Jan. 20, and 20 pounds of food were collected on the first day. Club members remind students in the cafeteria to place their uneaten food into a compost bin that is taken to another compost bin outside the school each day.
“Wasted food goes into trash and to a landfill,” said Orr. “When it sits in a landfill, it releases methane gas into the environment, which contributes to climate change.”
Antonia Van Ness is the adviser for the environmental club and serves on the district’s health and wellness committee. With help from this committee, Van Ness and Orr are hopeful all three district schools will be composting in the future.
Van Ness shared what she hopes to plan for the club before the conclusion of the school year.
“We’re looking to visit the farm as an environmental club and see it in action,” she said.
Orr explained what she has learned so far from this process.
“I learned new facts about compositing, and as a team member, working together to create a bigger thing for our community,” she said.