With the environment being a hot button issue this decade, there are many ways the community can promote environmental sustainability. For example, Central could replace plastic utensil bags with metal sporks. There are a lot of issues with OPS’s waste control. The schools go through hundreds of plastic packs containing a napkin, straw, knife, fork and spoon daily, most of the contents untouched by students. It is a gross waste of plastic and shows a huge lack of concern for the environment. Although Central does try to be sustainable by recycling, they could be doing much more if not limited by a budget. 

I think Central should replace the plastic packages with metal utensils as a start. There was a time many years ago when OPS used metal utensils and reusable trays and I believe we should ween Central and OPS back onto that standard. Although some of the repercussions would be labor and water or cleaning supplies for the non-disposable utensils, the cost of washing them is minuscule compared to how much plastic the school purchases.  

It would be more effective to purchase bulk soap instead of bulk plastic. The labor would not be too much of a strain on the budget either. The school should consider what is more important: their budget or the planet. It would not require hiring a new staff, but instead just new responsibilities for the current lunchroom employees. The school could also invest in an industrial dish washer which would pay off in the long run and be more efficient than handwashing every utensil. If Central wants to claim to be progressive as a school, the administration should consider their environmental impact. 

Now is the time for schools all around the state to raise their sustainability standards and set an example for students who will be making their own decisions on their lifestyle in the future. If Central continues to waste hundreds of plastic utensils daily, it will desensitize the students to how damaging it is to the Earth. I think that changing the utensils to metal, reusable items would just be the start. Eventually it would be nice to see the school install solar panels and decrease overall paper use, but those changes seem harder to implement and would take much planning and funds. Right now, especially with the money provided by the Central High Foundation, the school can covert the wasteful plastic into sustainable utensils.