Health & Fitness
AIS Environmental Board Brings Composting to Campus
A four-year-in-the-making, student-led initiative at The Agnes Irwin School to establish an all-school composting system has resulted in a partnership with Philly Compost – a woman-owned business in the Greater Philadelphia area – effective Monday, March 31, 2014. Philly Compost representative Jennifer Mastalerz will be on campus March 31 to speak to Middle and Upper School students in the Gymnasium at 8 a.m.
The Environmental Board’s investigation into local composting programs, organized by board head Allison Freiwald, a senior at Agnes Irwin, began four years ago when the students saw a great need for an effective composting system at school. The group’s research led them to Philly Compost, who tasked the group with conducting an audit on all of the waste produced in the schools' two cafeterias.
“We found that the cafeterias were producing 10 time more compostable waste than non-compostable waste,” said Freiwald. “That seemed like such huge numbers that we really knew what we were doing was the right thing.
Find out what's happening in Radnorwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
After conducting the audit, the board presented its findings to school administrators and they agreed that adopting a school-wide composting practice was the next logical step.
"I am excited for the girls to contribute to the composting program in such a meaningful way; from sorting their compostables to their landfill waste, they are active participants in the process,” said Veronika Paluch, a Lower School science teacher at The Agnes Irwin School. “This program will positively impact our science program, bringing in a hands-on approach to environmental science in the classroom."
ATTN Editors: Watch a video clip of Friewald discussing how Philly Compost will help AIS change the way it handles its waste (https://vimeo.com/89629148)
