Blue Earth is a hands-on project that a West Hartford resident and Renbrook School student is involved in.
Submitted
CJ Glooch, eighth grader at Renbrook School is a budding eco-activist.
CJ is part the Trustee Scholar Program at Renbrook. He chose the Trustee Scholar Program to make a difference in the community and the world by doing something for the planet. The Trustee scholar Program is student-initiated, student-led service learning. It fulfills a identified need in the school or the local community and fosters personal growth as well as leadership. Students participating in the Trustee Scholar Program need to choose a project, submit a proposal, volunteer for at least 15 hours, and then present to their peers, as well as the Board of Trustees, what they have learned from the project.
CJ has chosen Blue Earth Compost to help recycle coffee grounds and coffee pods.
Blue Earth Compost was a service that collects food scraps for residents, municipalities and businesses in Connecticut. It was something I wanted to do to save the earth. Blue Earth Compost is a food scrap collection program for Connecticut residents, municipalities, businesses, and other entities. Blue Earth’s motto is that food scraps should be considered resources, not trash. You can turn food scraps into nutrient rich compost that will make plants, flowers, and even food healthier, stronger and tastier.
CJ shared his thoughts regarding the effects coffee pods have on our environment and suggested ways to reduce them. The rise in popularity and use of Nespresso machines and Keurig is good news for coffee drinkers but bad for the environment. Many of the pods end up in landfills or incinerators, where they are unnecessarily discarded. Each year, the U.S. dumps collect 140 million tons waste annually, which is a major contributor of global warming. I believe we can reduce this problem, and would appreciate your support. If done correctly, these coffee pods can be recycled and their grounds can be composted. Blue Earth Compost will collect the pods, empty the grounds into compost, and then recycle the packaging.TerraCycle.
CJ learned a lot about the environment through the recycling and composting projects. He admits that it has not been an easy process. He has had difficulty with his communication skills, organization, and reliability. He has also had to persevere in the face of failures.
Every day, teachers at Renbrook School bring learning to life for students. The Upper School emphasizes service to the school as well as the community. All grade levels have the opportunity to serve their communities by becoming student mentors or campus stewards. The eighth-grade leadership program helps students develop empathy and understanding while using their talents and skills to serve. CJ has clearly demonstrated these skills.
CJ has managed to compost more than 1,000 coffee pods. This is great news. Unfortunately, there’s no easy way to recycle aluminum or plastic pods that contain the grounds. TerraCycle offers a solution but it costs $214 to recycle approximately 2,000 pods. It is not funded at the moment. CJs sister is trying to find creative ways of turning these into art installations. But a sustainable solution is needed. CJ and the program could use the support of local residents and businessmen who might be interested in donating funds for recycling costs. John Glooch, the father of CJ, can be reached at [email protected]Sam King at [email protected]For more information, please visit:
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