Supporting Composting Education in Schools
U.S. schools generate over 530,000 tons of food waste every year, much of which ends up in landfills where it releases methane, a potent climate pollutant. Schools already face tight budgets, limited staff capacity, and rising waste disposal costs, making traditional environmental programs difficult to sustain. Composting programs often fail because they rely on expensive outside labor, complex infrastructure, or one-time lessons that don’t stick.
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Our work addresses this problem directly through a classroom-based, kit-powered, and educator-supported model that is affordable, scalable, and built to last long after the first lesson is taught.
Our Classroom Composting Program is Simple, Sustainable, and Built for Impact
Vermicomposting Integrated Into the School Day
Our hands-on model brings composting into the classroom where students can feed the worms daily, track changes over time, and connect their actions to real environmental outcomes. Entry-level worm composting kits become part of the school routine, making it sustainable even in busy classrooms.
Hands-On STEAM/STEM Learning for All Ages
Our award-winning curriculum strengthens core science skills through real investigations in biology, engineering, measurement, systems thinking, data collection, and climate literacy. It prepares students for real-world careers in environmental science, agriculture, engineering, and sustainability.
Schools Reduce Food Waste and Cut Methane Emissions
Diverting food waste allows schools to cut down on landfill contributions and associated methane emissions, a key climate solution emphasized by international environmental agencies. Students see the impact firsthand, building long-term habits that extend beyond school into their homes and communities.
How Our Program Works
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We Provide the Tools: Schools receive five weeks of our free, award-winning NGSS-aligned STEAM K-12 curriculum, including lesson plans, pre/post assessments, worksheets, presentations, and more. Select classrooms also receive indoor worm compost farm kits and ongoing support.
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Students Take Action: Students run the compost system, feed worms, observe decomposition, conduct experiments, and track data. Learning becomes active, daily, meaningful, and something they can expand over time.
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Schools Reduce Waste: Over time, students proactively generate less food waste via source reduction and compost diversion, reducing landfill-bound organics and creating a closed-loop system that continues beyond our initial support. This is operational change that expands from one classroom into multiple grade levels, and then into the cafeteria setting.
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Economically Feasible: Schools do not need new staff, infrastructure, or expensive equipment. A single kit serves an entire classroom for years. Our train-the-trainer model ensures educators can operate the program independently once trained.
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Scalable Across Grades K–12: Our five-week curriculum is designed for every grade level, ensuring vertical alignment across a school or district. This lets administrators adopt a consistent, cross-campus model.
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Long-Term Sustainability: Because composting becomes part of the school day, not an after-school add-on, high-impact habits persist. Students carry these skills into the cafeteria, home, and community.
Reducing Barriers to Environmental Education with Free Composting Kits
We provide a limited number of free classroom composting kits each year to qualifying public schools, based on location, grade level, and available funding. Kits typically include indoor worm compost bins, classroom support materials, and ongoing educator guidance.