Lauralton celebrates "America Recycles"

Posted by: Debbie Bowley on Wed, 29 November 2006 00:23:04

The title of America Recycles Day has been changed to America Recycles in order to include the entire month of November for activities that involve conservation. Students and staff at Lauralton Hall have commemorated this special time for the past four years by filling out promise cards, promising to reduce, reuse and recycle and to buy products made from recycled materials. The promise cards are entered into both state and national drawings for prizes. Lauralton has won prizes on the state level and the school has received a Dell computer on behalf of Kathleen Keenoy, ’07, $150.00 toward the purchase of library books on behalf of Jane Becker, ‘07, and a bench made from recycled milk bottles on behalf of Mary Kate Collins, ’05. The state raffle is sponsored by the Connecticut Recyclers Coalition. This year administrators, faculty members and students filled out more than 300 promise cards. 

The fourth annual trash-free lunch marathon started off with the Jaws sound track pulsating over the PA system during morning announcements. As the music swelled, Ashley Blau, ’07, President of the Environmental Club, said, “Just when you thought it was safe to go to the cafeteria, TRASH-FREE LUNCH IS BACK!”

During the three days of trash-free lunch, November 15 to November 17, students with trash-free lunches entered a drawing for raffle prizes. A trash-free lunch means permanent, reusable containers such as Rubbermaid and Tupperware, instead of zip-lock bags or foil, and no plastic forks or paper napkins. Students were also eligible for a raffle ticket if they had permanent water bottles. Prizes included everything from Burt’s Bees samplers donated by Sam Roberge, ’10 and Erin Sullivan, ’11 to permanent water bottles donated by club historian Colleen Clark, ’08 and organic truffles donated by Maureen Cashman, ’10. Many of the club members thought of innovative raffle prizes. For example, when Laura Boynton, ’08 and Mary-Megan Marshall, ’08 couldn’t find the DVD of March of the Penguins for their contribution, they decided to donate a flock of chicks through the Heifer Foundation in the name of Brianna Barry, ’08 whose name was drawn. Leanna Hartnack, ’08 created a wonderful basket full of cruelty-free and environmentally friendly beauty products. The Environmental Club officers, Ashley Blau, ’07, Kelley Leen, ’08 and Carly Lind, ’08 put together a huge basket of organic snacks.

One of the club’s greatest contributors to the raffle prizes is Kathy Franco, mother of Eva Franco, '06. For the past four years, she has contributed Toys-R-Us gift cards, which are fun raffle prizes to win. The entire point of the trash-free lunch marathon is to get students to think about the choice they make everyday: a reusable container or a throw-away bag. Americans represent only five percent of the world’s population, but they generate thirty percent of the world’s garbage--it’s time to make that lunch trash free!