Pump the Party, Dump the Trash with Green Classroom Party Kits

by Aly Lewis

Remember the days of classroom parties: birthday celebrations after recess, root beer float and pizza parties for the class that read the most books throughout the year, and Thanksgiving potlucks that meant we got to skip out on an afternoon of learning the state capitals? What we probably don’t remember is the amount of trash produced by these parties: the paper plates and napkins, the plastic cups and silverware.

A group from Julian Elementary School has come up with a cool new idea to reduce the amount of waste from classroom parties. As a part of National Geographic's “Green Effect” contest, this group is competing for a grant of $20,000 to make 100 "Green Classroom Party Kits" that consist of washable white plates, clear cups, and silverware, in a rolling storage container that each class at Julian Elementary and 80 other classes around San Diego County can use and reuse for parties throughout the school year. What a great idea!

To find out more and vote for this simple project with lasting results, click here.

To read more about the contest and check out other finalist projects, visit GreenEffect.com.

Let’s help Julian Elementary Pump the Party and Dump the Trash!