Step 7: ACT to Engage the Community

We were asked by the school district to develop a plan to ensure that our school's children did not throw the metal silverware into the garbage, so we developed an Environmental Team called The Silverware Patrol! The Silverware Patrol stewards wear green vests with silver badges. They wield magnetic wands and gripper claws to retrieve any cutlery that is accidentally tossed in the garbage. They also help teach the importance of our everyday choices on our global ocean health.

We invited our student body to join the team via written application. The applications were reviewed by the second grade leadership cohort and evaluated on the basis of the applicants' evidence of responsibility, friendliness, and environmental concern.

Stewards received formal letters of acceptance:

Sixty students were accepted as the inagural Silverware Patrol Officers and a (very long) schedule was created. Six students per lunch serve were assigned the responsibility of monitoring the garbage cans. Twenty-four students served per day. Protocol was established and the second graders conducted training sessions for the other children.

The Environmental Team created a slide deck to introduce the new policy and expectations at each of the four lunch serves.

The following materials were purchased prior to launch:

• 6 Green Vests

• 12 Silver Star Badges

• 3 magnetic wands (to retrieve silverware accidentally thrown in the garbage)

• 3 gripper claws (to retrieve silverware accidentally thrown in the garbage)

• A garment rack to hang the vests

• Hangers made from recycled plastic

• Compostable gloves

• Hand Sanitizer

Total Teacher Cost = ~ $260.00