I want to take a moment to recognize our growing commitment to sustainability, both through schoolwide initiatives and individual efforts.
The Parent Association has committed to reusing and recycling during their events. There will be water bottle filling stations at every event, and greater focus will be put on sustainably produced decorations that can be repurposed from year to year. The PA has also placed more emphasis on reusable, recyclable, or compostable utensils and flatware at their events. I want to thank Environmental Management Co-Chairs James Longman and Andrea Kavoosi for their concerted efforts in ensuring that our parent-led events stay as low-waste as possible.
One initiative in particular that I would like to recognize is the Halloween Pop-Up Costume Shop, occurring on 9/28 and 9/29, led by Nikole Stanford, Daisy Hutton, Andrea Kavoosi, and James Longman. This sustainable costume recycling initiative offers parents the opportunity to buy gently used costumes that fellow HSH families have loved in the past. Bringing new life to these costumes is a simple, effective way to practice community-wide sustainability.
Thanks to a campaign by Mackenzie W, a 5th grade student, our kitchen has begun using only compostable utensils to accompany paid lunches. Small changes like this have immeasurably large impact, as we have reduced our use of plastic significantly this year and are consequently increasing our composting efforts campus-wide.
As we enter the Halloween and holiday season, I urge you to consider sustainability in your purchases. Replace Ziplock bags for reusable packaging in your child’s lunchbox. Use tote bags instead of plastic when grocery shopping. Bring along a reusable cup instead of getting a new single-use one for your morning coffee. Together, we can make a difference.
I thank you all for your efforts thus far and look forward to even more sustainability initiatives to come.
–Ms. Ilise