After making many changes to lessen our school’s environmental footprint, we now create little to no trash each month. Involving the preschool families at the beginning of the school year helps tremendously in maintaining a low-waste, sustainable school.
I send out an email to the families at the beginning of the year, asking them to pack their children’s lunches in reusable containers to avoid the waste of plastic bags and individually-wrapped food.
I choose to email most letters and updates to parents rather than print them out to cut back on resources and paper that printers use.
So far, sending this letter once at the beginning of the year has made lunches here about 85% waste-free! Here’s an example of an email I send requesting zero waste lunches. Feel free to use this text (click the link below it) and adapt as you need.
Dear families,
You are receiving this email because you have a child enrolled in the Monday/Wednesday/Friday class. School starts in one month!
For this class, the children are required to bring a lunch to eat at school. Children this age need at least 1 1/2 ounces of protein (meat or meat alternative), 1/4 cup of fruit, 1/4 cup of vegetables, and 1/2 ounce equivalent of grains in their lunches.
I will supply milk to drink. We will refrigerate their lunches and heat food as needed. Please label the lunch bag and water bottle with your child’s name and specify any food allergies/sensitivities your child may have and we will accommodate those needs.
In the past few years, our school has been focusing on sustainability and taking steps towards becoming zero waste in an effort to lessen our environmental footprint. A few ways we're doing this is by reducing the amount of trash our school creates by using eco-friendly materials in our art space, composting, and buying our snack food plastic-free in bulk. We invite you to be involved in this zero waste change as well!
When packing your child’s lunch, we kindly request choosing reusable containers over plastic and paper bags, and packing whole foods rather than pre-packaged processed foods (like an apple instead of pre-packaged applesauce). We welcome glass containers in the children’s lunches; we use glass jars all over the classroom. When we give children the opportunity to take care of fragile objects, they do so with pride and responsibility.
Thank you for helping our school strive to lessen our environmental impact through zero waste lunches! I look forward to having your child in class in just one month! Please let me know if you have any questions; I would be happy to answer them.
Sincerely,
April Hepokoski
Founder and Teacher, The Little Barnyard Preschool