Campaign for Plastic-Free Schools

Transition Town Youth Activists celebrating Plastic-Free Lunch Day

Transition Town Port Washington has made enormous progress in cooperation with the Port Washington Union Free School District towards reducing plastic waste in our schools. TTPW Youth Activists helped plan and implement two districtwide Plastic-Free Lunch Days. We have educated students, educators, and administrators alike in the serious deleterious impact of plastics on human health and the environment at large, and the need to address this profound problem. Our youth activists created and then presented educational slides and lectures in assemblies at all of Port Washington's elementary schools that explained the risks plastics pose, and highlighted ways students' can reduce their plastic use. Along with their TTPW mentors, our youth collaborated closely with PWUFSD administrators and the district's food servicer, Aramark, to remove as much non-essential plastic packaging and plastic disposables from our cafeterias as possible, and replace them with more healthful biodegradable options.  

In addition to spearheading these districtwide Plastic-Free Lunch Days, Transition Town Port Washington and its youth activists have been working toward more lasting changes within our district. We are continuing to advocate for the permanent removal of plastic packaging and plastic disposables from our school cafeterias, like plastic utensils, plastic water bottles, and plastic clamshells. We are working closely with PWUFSD to find and implement clean healthy approaches in our schools, like improving access to sustainable cost-effective water options, and replacing disposable pre-packaged food offerings with portioned food service on stainless-steel plating trays and flatware. All of these big changes require funding as well as infrastructure, like hydration stations and dishwashers, and we are working hard to support our schools and workshop with them to find a sustainable path forward. We have connected the district with national programs and nonprofit stipends that can help fund these important transitions. We are continuing to brainstorm with administrators to find workable solutions to the logistical challenges of transitioning away from current unhealthy and unsustainable practices. Ultimately, our goal is to eliminate plastics from our cafeterias and reduce plastic-use as much as possible in our schools at large for the sake of our students' health and the well-being of our environment.