Since 2011, Grades of Green has worked with schools across southern California to divert 1,740 tons of waste from landfills by setting up waste sorting stations, composting, and more through the Trash Free Lunch Challenge program! This spring, Grades of Green is expanding our waste reduction program to empower 200 student teams across the globe to tackle regional waste issues.




Starting in January, Grades of Green is launching our four-month Waste Campaign for 6th-12th grade students to engage eco-heroes across the globe to take action to reduce waste and develop sustainable, student-led solutions to waste issues relevant to their region. A Waste Campaign Team (a group of students, educators and community leaders) researches local waste issues, develops a solution to a water issue, and shares that idea with the community. Thanks to our sponsors, this program is free to all students, and Grades of Green will even provide personalized virtual mentorship, student leadership training, webinars featuring waste experts, waste conservation resources, and the opportunity to connect with other participating teams across the globe. Winning Campaign Teams, announced in April, will also receive up to $1,000 in Eco-Grant prizes to fund their innovative solutions. Check out this video to learn more!

The Waste Campaign is open to 200 teams of students across the globe. Campaign teams can come from schools, after-school programs, sports teams, community teams, and more! Each team needs at least 5 student members and one adult lead to supervise.




Do you know three students that are up for the challenge? Nominate them now! To join the Waste Campaign, have an adult lead complete this Google Form by January 11th!




REGISTER FOR THE SPRING WASTE CAMPAIGN HERE!

Charles Helmers Elementary and Skyblue Mesa Elementary from Saugus Unified School District will compete against eighteen other schools from southern California in Grades of Green’s 2017-2018 Trash Free Lunch Challenge. Last year, Bridgeport Elementary from Saugus Unified School District came in as a finalist in the 2016-2017 Trash Free Lunch Challenge with an 80% landfill diversion rate. Will one of these Saugus Unified schools be the 2017-2018 Trash Free Lunch Challenge Winner and take home a $1,000 grand prize? Check out our website and social media pages at @gradesofgreen throughout the year to check on these schools’ progress in the Challenge. Finalists and winners will be announced in March 2018! Read the full story here.

 

Lush highlighted Grades of Green’s Trash Free Lunch Challenge and our mission to inspire and empower kids to care for the environment. Thanks to their sponsorship, Grades of Green was able to help schools across southern California reduce their lunchtime waste by an average of 70%! Read the full story by clicking here, or you can view a PDF version here.

Interested in signing your school up for the Trash Free Lunch Challenge? Email us at info@gradesofgreen.org or call our office at (310) 607-0175 for more information!

Grades of Green wishes a happy summer break to both students and teachers alike! To kick off summer, we hosted a booth at the Aquarium of the Pacific on Teacher Family Day. Teachers were able to learn about Grades of Green’s free environmental programs such as the Trash Free Lunch Challenge and Youth Corps Eco Leadership Program as well as Grades of Green’s 40+ Eco-Activities. Attendees also got to enjoy a fun veggie-stamping activity led by  Youth Corps Eco-Leaders Rylee G., Misha H. and Cosmo H., while learning about the importance of reducing, reusing, and recycling! Interested in bringing some environmental programs into your school? Click here to register with Grades of Green and unlock our 40+ Activities for inspiration!

We should have done this program years ago! I love it! My back doesn’t hurt from throwing out all those bags of trash. I can’t believe we only have three bags of trash at lunch every day.