Recycling
Through a grant from the Baltimore City Office of Sustainability, Lakeland purchased recycling bins for hallways, offices and classrooms. Students with the after-school group Green Lions collect recycled materials weekly for the city's recycling program. In addition, they make posters and community service announcements to encourage good trash habits.
Worm Compost
Inspired by research done by 4th-graders along with a visit to NorthBay science camp, 6th-graders helped set up a demonstration compost bin for the school. The project, funded by the Baltimore City Office of Sustainability, provides a home for thousands of worms that break down lunch waste to provide compost for the school gardens. In addition, the compost bin is an instructional tool for classes.
Lunch Waste Separation
Following a week of environmental outdoor education at NorthBay, 6th-graders decided to apply their learning to the school's lunch room. For a week they separated and measured trash to assess the amount of waste generated by the school in the cafeteria. They took their findings to the principal and currently are investigating ways to improve the cafeteria trash habits. Already, students collect food waste for the compost bin and share unwanted food so that it's not wasted.