School Connections works to improve sustainability in Newton Public Schools. We believe the best way to address this issue is to institutionalize environmental practices, such as recycling, food waste management, and energy consumption.

After our group reached out to the Newton School Committee about the need to improve recycling in Newton’s schools, a school recycling policy was adopted by the committee. Our advocacy was instrumental to include environmental practices and waste reduction when selecting a new food service vendor for schools, and representatives of our group will participate in discussions to improve food quality and sustainability in school cafeterias. In June, we worked with city leaders to submit a MassDEP grant application to support the expansion of the school recycling program. Our group is also advocating for the city’s approval to set up textile recycling collection containers outside of each school building.

Below are more details about the initiatives we have been working on.

We also support another Green Newton initiative: Students for a Greener World.