Fostering Environmental Awareness: Rehrig Pacific's Collaboration with Fallbrook Elementary School

At Rehrig Pacific, we believe in the power of education and collaboration to drive positive change. Recently, we had the privilege of partnering with Rod Muir at Sure-Close Inc. and Fallbrook Elementary School to implement a composting program. This initiative promotes environmental awareness and responsibility among students, demonstrating our commitment to sustainability and community engagement.

Fallbrook Elementary embarked on a journey to launch a composting program to reduce waste and educate students about the benefits of composting. Rehrig Pacific stepped in to support their initiative by providing new compost buckets for the school-wide composting efforts. During lunch, students are given the opportunity to deposit their waste into composting bins, enabling them to actively participate in the composting process. The collected material is then transferred to the school's large 3-bin system, where it is transformed into nutrient-rich compost.

Fallbrook Elementary's composting efforts have yielded impressive results. With an estimated 5000-6000 pounds of food waste diverted from landfills each year, the school is significantly impacting waste reduction and environmental sustainability.

The compost produced by Fallbrook Elementary serves multiple purposes. It is used to teach students about decomposition, photosynthesis, food chains, and food webs, enriching their understanding of ecosystems and environmental science. Additionally, the students have a goal to use the compost to fertilize a Christmas tree farm at the school.

The new compost buckets have streamlined the composting process and empowered students to take ownership of their environmental impact and become more aware of waste. In fact, students have gained valuable insights into the importance of composting and its broader environmental implications. Their reflections highlight the transformative impact of hands-on sustainability education. When asked what others should know about the benefits of composting, students shared the following responses:

• "Composting has helped me understand that a fair amount of trash gets thrown away and wasted. Composting can reduce the amount of trash." – Chloe
• "People should know that if you compost, it will turn into soil for making a garden and growing plants or flowers. Compost is a cycle, so you don't have to worry about buying soil when you can make it." – Bella
• People should know that we are not putting anything to waste. In fact, we are helping every living thing on Earth to survive. The amount of food we waste is a little disappointing, but all the soil we make is helping that disappointment go away." –Meral
• "Composting has helped me learn that many people waste a lot of food." – Kaiden
•  "It helps me to know that you can save our Earth by composting." – Cammy

At Rehrig Pacific, we are proud to support schools like Fallbrook Elementary in their efforts to promote sustainability and environmental responsibility. Together, we can make a difference and create a brighter future for generations to come.