The Next Generation of Zero Waste

“You who are on the road must have a code that you can live by.”  

The opening line to “Teach Your Children,” by Crosby, Stills, and Nash, is not a song about teaching kids to value the earth, but it still popped into my head after presenting to a group of high school freshmen.  “Striving for zero waste is a stretch goal,” I told them. Hard to live by in today’s world, but if you’re aiming for zero, then you’re more likely to lower your waste.  And why is that important?

Many of them didn’t know. 

When I was their age, I never thought about where my trash was going after I was asked to clean my room. And I certainly didn’t understand the science behind keeping all the stuff we accumulate -and throw away- out of landfills.  Even today, I only know the basics: landfills are the third-largest contributor to methane emissions, which increase Earth’s temperature. At this, a student raised his hand.  “Can’t methane be used to produce energy?” He was right. An example was right here in Monroe County, the Mill Street Landfill creates energy as part of the county’s Waste to Watts initiative. A good outcome, but there‘s still a significant percentage of materials trapped in landfills that could have been recycled or composted.

“Who has one of these at home?”

I hold up the blue recycling bin in their classroom.  “Do you know what goes in here?”  After a few right answers and a lot of misconceptions, I direct them to Monroe County’s  Residential Curbside Recycling page and great video tours of the Monroe County Recycling Center and EcoPark. It takes commitment to stay on top of recycling regulations. I share my pride in our region for making progress in educating the public.

And what about food waste? 

For many of the students, composting was a new term. As I pointed to a picture of the dark, nutrient-rich soil that results from the natural decomposition of food and other organic material, I see the synapses of connection. Oh, that’s why it’s a circular model.  The compost is mixed back into the soil to grow new food. “Yes, you got it!”

How many compost at home?”  Out of 140 students, about 15 raised their hands.

My time with teenagers showed me that the potential to recycle, compost, and convert our waste to energy could become an excuse for not reducing what we contribute to the waste stream. We still need to take personal responsibility and support Source reduction. When I asked these high school students if they had ever tried to change a behavior, nearly all their hands shot up.  They knew that it meant doing something different and changing their routines. They all agreed it’s hard to do.

Striving for zero waste requires the maturity to examine personal habits while supporting collective efforts. 

For the generation that remembers Crosby, Stills, and Nash, we need to be role models and contribute to the conversation by listening to young people before sharing our pearls of wisdom. And even better, is to wait for them to ask for it.

For environmental advocates without grey hair, you have important things to say as you navigate the challenges of a world you inherited. Perhaps aimed at the generation you’d like to blame for the mess.

Even as Crosby, Stills, and Nash sing:

“And you, of tender years.  Can’t know the fears your elders grew by.

     Help them with your youth.  They seek the truth before they can die.  

     Don’t you ever ask them why? If they told you, you would cry  

     So just look at them and sigh, and know they love you.”

A young woman I met at the Climate Solutions Accelerator summit told me that it’s not enough to be loved by her elders; she wanted to see action. I listened and later shared that for intergenerational dialogue to be effective, we need to learn to ask each other curious questions. “What is/was your experience like?”

In whatever circles you gather, look around and notice if there is a balance between the generations present and a diversity of perspectives. Let’s learn to talk with each other about the changes we have made/are trying to make in our lifestyles and the code we want to live by.

As always, we would love to hear from you.  Send your comments to Nancy Steinkamp.