Reducing Our Carbon Footprint One Styrofoam Tray at a Time
Angélica Infante-Green
It’s time to Get the Foam Out! Recently, we announced the launch of our new $5 million initiative aimed at supporting school districts in their efforts to reduce their use of Styrofoam meal trays. Launched at the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation Education Center in Johnston, this program will allow RIDE to award schools $75,000 for demonstrating the use of reusable foodservice ware, and $10,000 to those who switch to a composting methodology. This comes after the passage of a Styrofoam ban in Rhode Island, which goes into effect January 1, 2025. Applications for the grant are open now until April 1, so apply today!
Now more than ever, environmental education is critical to ensuring all Rhode Island students are growing and thriving in a cleaner, greener school climate. It is vital to not just our kids but the larger school community that learning spaces are modern, healthy and welcoming. I am so excited to be working in conjunction with state and school leaders to reach this goal. Thank you to all of our fellow stakeholders for partnering to Get the Foam Out!
Finally, I cannot emphasize enough how important it is for students to be present in the classroom as much as possible. Remember, #AttendanceMattersRI, and it’s #Cool2BeInSchoolRI!
In partnership
Angélica Infante-Green