“No start is too small to affect change”
– Louise W.T. Wong
Kumsheen Secondary School is in Lytton, BC, a town of just 250 residents. This largely Indigenous village lacked a recycling program, and the students at Kumsheen decided to make a difference.
THE ISSUE
The students were fed exclusively frozen food in the cafeteria, and were concerned about the effect their small town was having on plastic and metal waste.
They needed two major changes in their school, and in their town:
They wanted to implement composting practices.
And they wanted fresh food in the cafeteria.
THE ANSWER
The students reached out to two BC organizations who heard their pleas, and together they worked to implement a horticulture class into their school.
This class teaches students how to make a horticultural garden on school grounds. The garden is fed on compost that the students collect, and through their hard work they are able to grow fresh vegetables and potatoes which go to the cafeteria and feed the students.
To this day, Kumsheen continues to composts, reducing waste and adding more nutritious meals to their school lunches.