East Village students eat off sugar cane trays which are better for the environment than Styrofoam
When students from three East Village schools eat in the cafeteria these days, they know it's good for their health and good for the environment.
East Village Community School, Children's Workshop School, and P 94 all share a building on East 12th Street. Recently, the schools became some of the first school cafeterias in New York City to switch from Styrofoam to sugar cane pulp trays.
"Getting the Styrofoam out of our schools is a real contribution we can make toward a healthier world for our kids," said Claudine Anrather, PTA co-president at Children's Workshop School.
Parents began researching biodegradable and compostable trays after their children raised the issue during a school performance.
"Two years ago, our fifth graders put on a play about the Styrofoam trays schools throw out every day," said PTA co-president Joyce George. "It was a wake up call."
Sugar cane trays are fully biodegradable and break down within 45 days in the landfill.
At eight cents each, however, the "green" trays are twice as expensive as Styrofoam and the East Village schools use 500 of them every day. That's more 100,00 trays a year.
The Department of Education offers all schools the option of using the more expensive trays as long as they cover the additional cost. Parents are raising the extra money themselves by selling organic popcorn among other events.
Helen Greenberg, a parent who helped spearhead the switch, said it's worth all the hard work.
"Our kids can now see how everything they do makes a difference to our planet," she said.
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