To reinstate the importance of proper waste disposal and sustainable education, members of Go Greenish led an interactive presentation at Earl Warren Middle School (EWMS) on May 28. Attendees were first able to learn from a presentation on how to recycle and compost, teaching them various categorical groups for waste management along with tips on how to sort miscellaneous waste products and breaking common misconceptions.
After freshening the students' knowledge, Go Greenish executive members led an interactive game where the team displayed everyday waste items. Two competing teams of EWMS students from the crowd were asked to sort them into the correct containers in a competitive manner. The team that sorted a higher amount of waste into its correct location won and received prices of donuts.
Early on, the students' excitement was vibrant and grew over time as there were more opportunities to learn about sustainable sorting and chances to earn prizes. To emphasize the active role of the students in waste sorting, Go Greenish then moved on to sharing statistical changes of the students and faculty sorting habits. To gather the data, we dissected a trash can, recycling can, and composting can and recorded how well the students were following proper waste management guidelines.
Presenting the data, the two EWMS waste audits show notable improvements in waste sorting practices from fall to spring, particularly in composting and overall diversion from trash. In the fall audit, only 7 compostable items were correctly placed in the compost bin, while 31 compostable items were incorrectly discarded as trash and 14 were placed in recycling. By spring, the number of correctly composted items increased dramatically to 36, and compostables placed in recycling dropped to zero, indicating a significant improvement in compost awareness and participation.
Recycling accuracy also improved slightly, with correctly recycled items increasing from 29 to 25 out of a smaller total sample, while the number of recyclable items incorrectly thrown in the trash remained relatively stable (23 in fall versus 25 in spring). Trash sorting showed mixed results: correctly disposed trash items decreased from 70 to 54, but fewer trash items were mistakenly placed in recycling (15 to 17) and some were diverted to compost (6).
Overall, the spring audit demonstrates meaningful progress in proper composting and waste diversion efforts, proving that education and waste management initiatives have helped reduce contamination and improve sorting accuracy across the campus.
Behind these massive improvements in waste sorting at EWMS, lies a fundamental program that allowed these students to continue learning the basics of waste management.
The lab featured an interactive Pear Deck covering key concepts within the matter cycle, including the water cycle, common recycling misconceptions, decomposers and detritivores, and more. Students watched professionally filmed videos of Go Greenish members explaining each concept, followed by guided questions designed to assess and reinforce their understanding. To enhance the experience, each student also received a Goodie Bag containing custom-made tote bags, compostable notebooks, and plantable pencils, encouraging students to apply sustainability practices beyond the classroom. The lab was a tremendous success and was emphasized in the in-person presentation.
The team went over the key concepts that students learned in the lab. Students learned the importance of proper waste sorting and how pollution can travel through stormwater runoff and the water cycle, impacting ecosystems and human health. They explored the environmental benefits of recycling and composting, including reducing landfill waste, conserving resources, and lowering pollution. Students also learned how decomposers return nutrients to the soil, the risks of improper e-waste and battery disposal, and how everyday actions such as recycling correctly, reducing waste, and disposing of materials responsibly can make a positive environmental impact.
Now, before concluding the presentation, the team led the students in an interactive Kahoot game to review the content of the slide show presentation and build up sustainable habits, which was a favorite by far.
Go Greenish is excited to return to EMWS next fall along with spreading curriculum to other middle schools in the San Dieguito Unified High School DIstrict.
