To Students and Teachers:

Start a REDUCE TRAY USE campaign in your school asap!
Make REDUCE TRAY USE posters for your cafeteria. Ask your principal if it is OK to hang these up in the cafeteria and hallways. Ask for permission to speak at the beginning of each lunch period  to explain to your fellow students why it is so important to think about every single tray we use. Tell them that NYC throws away 4 million trays per week!

If students are buying one wrapped item and a drink, encourage them not to use a tray. You can also encourage recycling of drink containers in the cafeteria as well as suggest to students who bring "bag" lunches to use only reusable containers, no disposables. NYC makes 12,000 tons of trash per day!

Find out how many trays your school uses per day. Document your school’s progress.
Ask your principal if you can document the amount of cafeteria trash. See if your school cafeteria is disposing of fewer trash bags per day or week by asking the custodian to help you keep track. Ask the cafeteria manager at the end of each week if they are using less Styrofoam trays. We will be so happy to publicize your results on our website so other students can find out about it!

Build a sculpture out of USED Styrofoam trays and display it!
Ask your art teacher if you can build a sculpture out of used trays (you will need to wash them first). Try to construct the sculpture in a prominent place so that everyone in the school starts to think about the  amount of  Styrofoam waste we make!

Ask a local retail store if you can exhibit the sculpture in their store window!

Talk to your PTA
Ask your parents if you can go to the next PTA meeting and ask parents to help! The students at PS 11 in Chelsea recently convinced their PTA to raise money to cover the cost of switching from Styrofoam trays to biodegradable trays, made of 85% sugar cane leaves. We have the steps posted on our site.

PLEASE TAKE PHOTOS of your REDUCE signs and whatever else you create and send them to us at info@SOSnyc.org!
We would like to post your work on our web site and show the DOE School Food office what you are doing!

Write letters to the Mayor, include photos and any documentation of trash reduction! Mayor Bloomberg needs to know that you care about getting rid of Styrofoam in your school.