Students for a Sustainable Future (SSF)

SSF is a student club at Lebanon High School, Lebanon, NH.  Starting as advocates for recycling in the school, the club has branched out into other sustainable activities.  Most recently, we launched a composting program in the high school cafeteria and a school garden.

The compost stations in the cafeteria allow students to sort food scraps from their trash and recycling in an efficient way as they exit the cafeteria. The stations were designed by the Applied Engineering class, built by Wood Technology class, and painted by art students. Four 32 gallon totes of food scraps are collected each week, for a total of 4608 gallons of food scraps each year.  These scraps are picked up by a Vermont compost farmer each week, who then leaves us empty totes.  Previously, these scraps went into the trash, and were hauled away to the West Lebanon landfill.

The school garden started out three years ago as three 4' x 10' raised beds.  Last fall we built two more beds of the same size.  We have grown garlic, onions, carrots, beets, kale, spinach, herbs, and more, and the vegetables are harvested by SSF students, washed, and delivered to the cafeteria kitchen staff once a week.  This year, thanks to our Whole Kids Foundation grant, we have senior students who are serving as garden interns, working to build the garden, maintain the vegetables, harvest, work with elementary school students, and assist in the composting program.  The interns recently started seedlings of onions and butternut squash under grow lights while we wait for the snow (2 feet) to melt off our garden!