GROVE CITY -- School lunches have come a long way in the last 50 years, but the leftovers go right where they always have: Straight to the landfill.
That might be changing soon at the ACGC Junior and Senior High School. Students on the district's first Youth Energy Summit team are about to take a good, hard look at what is getting tossed.
They are hoping to find ways to compost the food and paper wastes and recycle all of the glass, metal and plastic containers otherwise being buried for eternity. It's all part of their quest to reduce their carbon footprint and develop clean energy sources, and, oh yes, maybe just win a monetary prize for their school.
"We're into this big time,'' said Tami Bennett-Tait, a science instructor and coach of the district's first YES! team.
She's leading one of 13 school teams that are taking on the challenge of the second annual YES! competition sponsored by the Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center and the Southwest Initiative Foundation.
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Anne Dybsetter, who coordinates the project for Prairie Woods, has visited with all 13 teams of young people. She said their enthusiasm left her "inspired.''
The competition is offered as an opportunity for students and community members to work together to develop projects and raise awareness of energy issues. The teams compete by taking on projects of their own choosing to benefit their communities.
Although participation in YES! demands a big commitment, Bennett-Tait said she had no trouble finding students eager to join the ACGC team. Samantha Ehrenberg, a junior on the team, explained why: Renewable energy and conservation are issues that are very much on the minds of students these days.
Young people are also very passionate about making their communities better places to live, said Dybsetter.
It all starts by taking small steps. Students on the ACGC team will start their energy-saving quest by promoting the use of compact fluorescent lights in the district. Bennett-Tait and school liaison Nicole Bergmann said the students hope to work with the utilities serving the district.
They want to go door to door and distribute the energy-saving bulbs to residents.
The students also plan to take a look at energy use within the ACGC school buildings. They want to find ways to reduce carbon emissions through improved energy efficiency.
Come the first week of December, they will take on the big project of analyzing the school lunch waste stream and identifying what types of recycling and composting opportunities can be developed.
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It's only the start. Bennett-Tait said the students also want to develop some form of alternative energy source for the school. A project involving solar power seems to be what the students prefer, but their coach said wind and biomass options are being considered too.
Sound ambitious? Yes it is, but also very doable, according to Dybsetter.
Last year's YES! teams also took on big projects, such as the community greenhouse launched by the Willmar School District's team. These and other projects have become ongoing ventures, Dybsetter said, while also continuing to involve both students and adult volunteers in the community.
