
Six
Prince
William
County
Public
Schools
have
been
selected
to
participate
in
a
"Community
Compost
and
Food
Waste
Reduction"
(CCFWR)
grant-funded
project.
The
United
States
Department
of
Agriculture
(USDA)
has
awarded
Prince
William
County
(PWC)
government,
$88,000
for
the
project,
which
will
be
implemented
in
collaboration
with
PWCS.
Composting
is
an
environmentally
friendly
way
to
recycle
organic
food
scraps
such
as
orange
and
banana
peels,
apple
cores,
grape
vines,
and
strawberry
stems
from
school
cafeterias.
The
grant
from
the
USDA
will
provide
composting
and
gardening
education
to
students
and
staff
at
Ellis,
Mullen,
Piney
Branch
and
Victory
Elementary
Schools,
Gainesville
Middle
School,
and
Unity
Reed
High
School.
The
grant
money
will
also
be
used
to
purchase
bins,
composting
signage,
waste
audit
supplies,
and
cover
the
costs
of
disposing
of
organic
matter.
"As
a
school,
our
mission
to
spread
kindness
to
others
will
now
extend
beyond
one
another
and
into
the
environment,
helping
make
our
kind,
caring,
courageous
Cardinals
global
citizens
with
an
even
greater
positive
impact
on
their
community,"
shared
Piney
Branch
Elementary
Assistant
Principal
Steven
Thorne.
Funds
will
also
be
used
to
pay
a
stipend
for
training
the
kitchen,
custodial,
and
cafeteria
staff,
and
educators
to
help
with
the
project.
The
project
not
only
has
educational
benefits,
but
because
composting
is
a
component
of
recycling,
it
helps
meet
the
School
Division's
goal
to
reduce
landfill
waste
by
increasing
the
rate
of
recycling.
PWCS'
relationship
with
PWC
government's
Solid
Waste
Division
led
to
the
partnership
on
applying
for
and
receiving
the
grant.
Energy
Management
and
Sustainability
Team
(EMAST)
Energy
Education
Coordinator
Jeanne
Jabara
has
been
a
member
of
the
PWC
Green
Guiding
Committee
for
the
past
four
years.
She
shares
information
about
the
energy,
recycling,
and
sustainability
initiatives
of
PWCS
with
the
committee.
PWC
government
built
an
industrial
compost
facility
in
Manassas.
It
has
been
a
common
goal
to
have
school
food
scraps
and
other
organic
matter
diverted
from
the
landfill
to
this
facility
for
composting.
EMAST
recommended
the
six
pilot
schools
for
the
project
based
on
the
proximity
of
the
schools
to
the
new
facility.
The
PWCS
team
will
assist
with
student
and
staff
education,
provide
recommendations
for
waste
data
collection,
create
signage
and
a
methodology
for
composting.
"Our
community
partners
have
a
shared
vision
for
a
sustainable
PWC,
which
can
be
accomplished
by
conserving
resources
and
protecting
our
environment.
PWC
has
additional
educational
resources
for
waste
reduction
and
recycling
that
will
be
shared
with
PWCS
through
this
partnership.
This
project
meets
both
our
goals
and
those
of
the
county
government.
And
it
is
our
students
who
will
carry
on
this
work
into
the
future,"
Jabara
explained.