School District in MA Makes Big Green Changes

School administrators in Massachusetts are seeing the big picture of cafeteria sustainability. Read about their successes and bring some of their ideas to your school's cafeteria.
Originally published by Wicked Framingham

Through a combination of those efforts with investments in new technology and equipment, the district has been able to cut its electricity budget from about $2 million over a decade ago to just over $1.5 million last year. But going green doesn’t always have to be about trimming costs, said food services director Brendan Ryan. Ryan’s department has also taken steps to make its operations more environmentally friendly, but he admitted those actions haven’t always been the cheapest option.

“A Styrofoam tray costs me 3 cents,” he said, while the dishwashers and environmentally safe cleaners the district has been gradually replacing them with are more expensive.

“Sometimes it’s not really about the money,” Ryan said. “It’s trying to understand your place in the environment.”

Ditching disposable plates and utensils – “the enemies of the landfills,” as Ryan described them – is just part of a larger effort to create a more sustainable food service program in Framingham. The department has also cooperated with several schools on new compost programs that turns old food into fertilizer for the district’s new vegetable garden in the Framingham High School courtyard.