Emma, a Brookfield High School student from Canada, decided that she would devote herself to reducing food waste so that she could make a meaningful difference in her community.
To tackle the problem, Emma planned to create a school composting system that could turn cafeteria leftovers into soil for the school garden. Now her plan is becoming a reality. Ten compost bins are scheduled to be installed around campus in early April.
As she began researching food waste, Emma discovered an online tool that helped schools estimate how much waste they produced each week. After entering data from her school cafeteria, she realised that hundreds of kilogrammes of food were being thrown away every month. At the suggestion of her biology teacher, Karen Mills, she first conducted a survey among students and staff to learn more about their eating habits and attitudes toward recycling. Then she continued her research, contacting a local environmental group for advice on composting equipment and maintenance. Since she did not have enough money to begin the project, she persuaded Brookfield's principal to support her after explaining how the system could benefit both the school and the neighbourhood.
Because the school provided the initial funding for the bins and basic equipment, the project has grown to include a student volunteer team responsible for collecting and sorting food waste. The finished compost is expected to be used in the school garden, where vegetables and flowers will be grown for science lessons and community events.
"It feels amazing to think that an idea I had during lunch one day could turn into something this useful," said Emma, expressing thanks for Mills' guidance.