A groundswell of Zero Waste enthusiasm stirred up a commotion at Central Middle School, where two high school youth spearheaded a Zero Waste Campaign at the end of January. The campaign has received overwhelming community support, highlighting an obvious hunger for action and leadership in moving towards a more sustainable future.

Caleigh Inman and Kim Hallam, both members of the Sustainable High Schools youth steering committee, launched the bleachers into a frenzied rumble as 450 students roared with excitement. Accompanied by a backdrop of Tar Sands photos and diagrams describing the uses of oil, and product life cycles, Caleigh and Kim wove together the web of links between climate change, a despoiled environment, the ignorance of landfills, and the multifaceted benefits of the 3 R's - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. A recycle relay game followed with a raucous crowd cheering on their fellow peers racing to sort tin foil wrappers from batteries and the like. 

The SHS Project is offered in partnership with the Sierra Youth Coalition, the youth branch of the Sierra Club. Sustainable High Schools is adapted from SYC's successful Sustainable Campuses Project. SHS is a youth-driven initiative that involves high-school youth mentoring younger middle-school students in sustainability dialogue and projects.

As part of School District 61’s Waste Management Pilot Project, 8 elementary and middle schools will be receiving all the necessary props and pick-up contracts for handling compost, soft plastics, Styrofoam, metals, electronics, and other common recyclables such as paper and plastic bottles. The goal is to have all schools in the district on board for Zero Waste by 2012.