On Pelham’s journey to shift to be more environmentally friendly, composting has recently been introduced to all schools in the district. Superintendent Dr. Champ has worked closely with a new company to implement composting in all schools on November 18.

As outlined by Champ, there will be 64-gallon bins at each school, so a different bin can be used once a day with the safety of a spare. The bins will be picked up weekly by a hauler for proper processing.

Champ said, “As the largest entity in the community housing 2900 students and over 300 staff each day we produce a lot of waste! Anything we can do to put more sustainable practices into place will help to reduce the negative impact we have on the environment. Composting in particular helps us to reinvest in the future through replenishing the earth with nutrients.”

Students in the high school have shown their involvement and passion for environmental conservation by working with principal, Mrs. Clark, on creating signage to educate students on this issue. The Student Sustainability Committee has also worked with Mrs. Clark to voice their opinions and ideas to further spread environmental awareness and bring change to Pelham. Starting from eliminating plastic bottles to now implementing composting, Pelham has come a long way in increasing sustainable practices. However, there is still a long way to go for Pelham to reach its sustainability goals.

Champ said, “I’d still like to see us move to the point of reducing and eventually eliminating the sale of boxed water. I’d like to see every student and staff bringing their own reusable water bottles daily. I’d like to find solutions for elimination of other plastics, such as sports drinks, etc. Those would be great next steps in my opinion. The Sustainability Committee will hopefully give us other recommendations for the future.”