STEMtists Go Green

Go Green with Us!

STEMtistsGoGreenTeamFor the First Lego League Trash Trek Challenge, our team will “Reduce Food Waste in Schools! We are implementing an Eco-school food-recycle program to reduce food waste in the trash from not properly donating, reusing, recycling, or composting. We met with teachers, principals, and presented to classrooms of students. We interviewed faculty at the WVU Farm, WVU Sustainability, Mon County Health Dept., and presented at the National Hunger & Homeless Awareness Week hosted by the Food Recovery Network. Local WV food banks need the food that is being tossed out in schools. See our interviews and presentations on the STEMtists YouTube Channel.

MARS_logoMost importantly, Thank You! to our team sponsor, the Mountaineer Area RoboticS (MARS) for their guidance and support for the past 3 years. Many of our team members will be joining MARS in high school to expand their knowledge of robotics engineering. Their mission is to inspire youth throughout the state and the world. Their motto…We came to be inspired. We stay because we are. We will become the inspiration.

CircleOfFoodWe are 8th grade students from Suncrest Middle School and we are all good friends. Our motto for the Trash Trek is “Don’t be a fool, composting is cool!” We have been enjoying presenting our research to other students and came up with a challenge for schools to encourage food waste reduction. As kids, we believe that if we reduce food waste in schools, make it fun with a reward system, then other students will want to recycle too. We collect, donate, compost, grow new food… and we call it the Circle of Food.

STEMtists Go Green, an Eco-School Food Waste Reduction & Recycling Program, see our plan for the Trash Trek Challenge Research.

School lunch fruits and veggies often tossed in trash, study finds…

Food waste in some school cafeterias has increased 35 percent since the passage of the USDA mandate requiring students to take a fruit or vegetable, according to a new study.

“Food Waste is a Big Problem. 31% or 133 billion pounds of food from U.S. retail food stores, restaurants, cafeterias, and homes goes uneaten. All of the resources that went into producing that wasted food — including the land, labor, water, chemicals, and fertilizers –could have been saved or gone to uses of higher value to society.” – USDA 2015 Green.gov Conference on Sustainability

FLL_board-game-Food_wasteThe STEMtists Go Green has interviewed experts and presented their solution to reduce food waste to local schools including students and teachers, for college faculty members, to the Monongalia County Schools Food Coordinator, for the Food Recovery Network, and during the National Hunger & Homeless Awareness Week held at WVU. See our presentation slides to learn more about our initiative…  STEMtists Go Green Research Plan Presentation.