Crocker kids get 'green'

By Mary Carey
Staff Writer

Published on November 23, 2007

You might say that everything Crocker Farm students really need to know about composting and recycling they learned in kindergarten.

The children in Greta Wilcox's class separate the remains of their lunches into recyclables, trash and scraps for the compost heap. Then they take turns bringing the recyclables to the bin down the hall and food remains outside to the compost.

It's reduced the total amount of trash they produce by a third to a half.

"When you don't compost, it's amazing how much trash you create," said Ritsuka Mastroianni, Wilcox's aide, who has led the composting charge.

There have been efforts to institute composting throughout the Amherst Regional Public Schools but, so far, results have been mixed.

Farmers won't accept food scraps for animals if they are contaminated with other materials, like Styrofoam, plastic bags and utensils, said Susan Waite, recycling coordinator for the town.

"The challenge is in training the children every year," Waite said. The schools need to have volunteer "compost coaches," and "it's hard to get on the schools' radar, because they have a lot of other things going on."

The kindergartners have the benefit of being able to eat their lunch in the classroom, which makes for an unhurried atmosphere conducive to concentrating on what can be composted (fruits and vegetables) and what can't be (meat, cheese and fish), Mastroianni said.

They are learning how the vegetables and fruit break down into soil by watching a pumpkin slowly decompose and writing about it.

"I actually think it's pretty weird that it turns into soil, because I didn't know that food could turn into soil," said kindergartner Eli Slovin.

Kindergartner Gabrielle Williams said she composts at home.

"Actually, I'm making soil at my house right now. I just put cabbage in it, leaves, rocks and I put dirt and tomatoes in it," she said.

They're learning "how the world works," Wilcox said. "And they're learning how not to waste."

In October, the class visited Brookfield Farm, a Community Supported Agriculture farm in Amherst, and the children got to see how compost can be used to produce more food.

Mastroianni compiled a scrapbook about the visit, in which parents left comments.

"We especially liked the illustrations," Eli's parents wrote. "Just one question. Was there anyone that thought they didn't like carrots but tried them and discovered that they did like them?"

The children also gave high marks to the pigs at Brookfield Farm.

"They're really fun to watch," said Christina Wehrli. "It's funny when you throw a squash out and one just takes it away."

Eli also singled out for praise one of two compost heaps he saw at the farm, because he could climb on it.

"The first one I didn't do, because it was too muddy around it," he explained. "And you know what they are made of? Guess. Manure."

Mary Carey can be reached at mary.carey@att.net.