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The Zero Waste Schools newsletter will help you get your school on a path toward
generating zero waste through waste prevention, recycling, composting, and food recovery. Youâll also find resources that connect zero waste to healthy eating, school gardens,
and environmental education and action.

Share the newsletter with friends, colleagues, and students interested in zero waste.
| | Food service as a force for good | |
What began seven years ago as a simple conversation between an elementary school parent and Seven Generations Ahead (SGA) has become a uniquely ambitious and innovative district-wide program to reduce waste in school cafeterias. SGAâs Zero Waste Schoolsâ (ZWS) partnership with North Shore School District 112 (NSSD112) in Highland Park was sparked at a green school meeting in 2019 when former Zero Waste Schools Program Manager, Susan Casey, was approached by a district parent, Jenny Futterman. A few months later, Red Oak Elementaryâs zero waste program was launched.
Futterman shares, âWe had the right magic of willing principals, liaison teachers and a green minded Operations Director at the time.â The pilot to sort lunchtime waste in Red Oakâs cafeteria has now grown to five schools in the district with plans to launch the remaining four schools this school year.
Read the full article HERE.
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In case you missed it! Check out the recordings of SGA's September webinars.
Our back-to-school webinar focused on zero-waste initiatives and practices that schools can take to either restart their zero-waste program or to start their waste reduction journey. The ZWS team was lucky to have Katie Nahrwold, State Lead for the Illinois Climate Education Hub, present standards-aligned curriculum resources for educators interested in incorporating climate change education into their upcoming school year. To watch the recording of this webinar, click HERE.
Our second webinar was part of the national Food Waste Prevention Week. Food waste prevention and source reduction continue to be one of the best methods to reduce emissions and support community needs. This webinar brought together Seven Generations Ahead (SGA) and three guest speakers from unique backgrounds to discuss food recovery and best practices for donation. To watch the recording of this webinar, click HERE.
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2027 Green Schools Conference
Feb. 8 - 10, Hyatt Regency, Austin, TX
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Are you interested in sustainability in schools? The Green Schools Conference, hosted by the Center for Green Schools and the Green Schools National Network, will take place in Austin, Texas in 2027 and will host a variety of speakers discussing what schools are up to in furthering their sustainability goals.
The 2027 event will feature two days of inspiring sessions, expert-led workshops, and dynamic networking opportunities, followed by optional post-conference tours, which offer attendees a chance to explore sustainability in action at local schools and organizations across the Austin area. Join education and sustainability leaders from across the country to connect, learn, and advance the movement for healthier, more equitable, and more sustainable schools.
SGAâs Becky Brodsky will be presenting about one of Zero Waste Schoolâs recent projects in the session, Food Service as a Force for Good. This interactive conversation will share how North Shore School District 112âs values and priorities led them to leverage a facilities modernization project to holistically reimagine their school lunch program.
To learn more about the conference, click HERE.
| | NEW! Climate change education course for 
classroom teachers | |
This new microcredential offered by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a job-embedded Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) approved course designed for Kâ12 educators who want to confidently integrate climate change education into their teaching.
Developed in response to Illinois' new climate change education requirement, this course will support teachers in building practical resources that they can use immediately, including age-appropriate conversation starters, a hope-in-practice classroom checklist, a standards crosswalk, a whole-school climate education action plan, and a lesson or unit that they will teach and reflect upon. This microcredential will support educators in teaching their students about the world they are growing up in and will help them discover teaching strategies that foster climate literacy, justice, hope, and meaningful action.
| | ISBE climate change education professional development | | |
As a result of Illinois Public Act 103-0837, educators are required to incorporate climate change education into their curriculum for the 2026-2027 school year. To connect educators with practical information, lessons, and resources, ISBE is hosting a Climate Education learning strand as part of the FY 2027 Professional Learning Series.
On Dec. 2nd from 4 - 5 pm cst, the Zero Waste Schools team will be presenting: From cafeteria to classroom: engaging students in reducing food waste and making the climate connection. This presentation will explore ways to engage students in taking action on the problem of food waste through hands-on projects, such as waste audits, share tables, and classroom activities. ZWS will also introduce standards-aligned curriculum in all subject areas around topics such as composting, where our food comes from, and equitable food systems. Educators will leave with a better understanding of why reducing food waste is a critical part of the climate conversation and how to empower your students to be a part of the solution.
To register as an educator in Illinois, click HERE.
To listen as a non-educator, click HERE.
| | Illinois Great Apple Crunch | | |
The Illinois Great Apple Crunch is a great first step into local purchasing and is a fun way to educate students about where their food comes from. Connect your local orchard to the Crunch and you've got a match made only in Illinois!
Any group in Illinois can celebrate the Great Apple Crunch. K-12 schools, homeschool groups, early care, after-school programs, farmers markets, farms and orchards, families at home, businesses, organizations, and agencies can buy local apples and Crunch! Share this event and help us move the needle for our Illinois orchards!

The Crunch is traditionally celebrated on the second Thursday in October but you can Crunch anytime during the month to help us celebrate Illinois apples!
Registration is easy and it's free! You can register HERE.
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Don't trash it, smash it! Facilitated by our friends at SCARCE, Pumpkin Smash is an annual effort to divert pumpkins from landfills through commercial composting. Last year, the Pumpkin Smash composted over 200.2 tons of pumpkins (thatâs 400,393 lbs!), reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 144 tons of CO2e, and diverted 43,010 gallons of water from landfills. Find a Pumpkin Smash near you.
Interested in hosting a Pumpkin Smash at your school or in your neighborhood? City approvals require 30 day notice, so now is the time to start planning! Refer to SCARCE's How to Host a Pumpkin Collection guide for more information and register your site HERE.
Residents of Chicago are encouraged to utilize the free food scrap drop off locations to compost their pumpkins after the spooky season. To learn more about this opportunity, click HERE.
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International Compost Awareness Week 2027
poster & bookmark contests
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Know any creative students who would like to help spread the word about the benefits of composting? Encourage them to enter this year's International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW) poster and video contests. Deadline to enter is Oct. 22, 2026.
All entries should highlight the theme of ICAW 2027: âAll Paths Lead to Compostâ ICAW is May 2 - 8, 2027.
Poster contest: The ICAW Poster Contest is open to all ages 14 through adult worldwide. The winning design will be distributed and displayed across the United States and beyond to promote the ICAW 2027 campaign.
Bookmark contest: The ICAW Bookmark Contest is for youth ages 10 â 13. The winning design is printed and shared across the country during ICAW to help spread the word about the importance of composting and healthy soil.

Posters cannot be an AI generated design. Any AI designed posters will be eliminated from the contest.
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The biannual Plastic Free Lunch Day (PFLD) is coming up on Nov. 16 - 20th. PFLD is presented by Cafeteria Culture and the Urban School Food Alliance and is an easy way for schools to ease into reducing disposable packaging and foodware. Schools can participate for one day, a couple days, or the whole week. Check out the EasyStart K-12 packet
PFLD programming can include:
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Screening the film Microplastic Madness, the award-winning (and very engaging) student-led film in your school or classroom for free Sept. 14 - Nov. 30
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Easy actions, such as conducting a plastics audit in the lunchroom, using bulk condiment dispensers or individual utensil dispensers, serving finger-foods, or packing zero waste lunches from home

Join the movement! Over 3,000 schools participated nationwide during the Spring PFLD!
| | The Zero Waste Schools team is here to help! | | Please contact us at zerowaste@sevengenerationsahead.org if you need support 
with your existing waste reduction initiatives or if you'd like some help figuring 
out where to start. | | Grants and other opportunities | | |
Defining Evidence for Programs to Ensure Nutrition for Development (DEPEND) is designed to help schools serve healthier food, address operational hurdles, and increase scratch cooking at scale. Apply by Oct. 13.
Algalita Student Mini Grant is offering $500 mini-grants to students ages 11-25 worldwide who are ready to take action on the root causes of plastic pollution in their schools and communities. Projects can take many forms, from starting a reuse program or hosting a repair event to conducting plastics research, leading an art awareness campaign, community organizing, or finding another creative way to address plastic pollution at its source. Apply by Oct. 15.
Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom: Teacher Grants offers K-12 Teachers in the State of Illinois book and project grants to incorporate agriculture into their content-area classrooms. Apply by Oct. 16.
Greenprints for the Classroom provides the tools, funding, and support to design and lead projects that address real environmental challenges in schools and communities. Through Wild Classroom, up to 15 educators will receive $1,200 to help students put their solutions into action. Apply by Nov. 16.
Illinois Schoolyard Habitat Action Grant can provide up to $2000 for the development of wildlife habitat at your school! Projects must emphasize student/youth involvement with planning, development and maintenance and increase the educational and wildlife habitat values of the site. Apply by Dec. 2.
Chef Ann Foundation: Salad Bar Grants is a grant program that provides schools and districts with everything needed to implement salad bars effectively as a part of a reimbursable meal, while supporting a journey to more scratch cooking and values-aligned procurement. The foundation's recent survey of 170 school districts in the Salad Bars to Schools program reported a 92% increase in fruit and vegetable selection after adopting salad bars! Apply by March 31, 2027.
SWANCC Waste Reduction Grants are a great opportunity for schools, libraries, and nonprofits in Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC) member communities. Funds can help cover the cost of materials and equipment that support waste-smart projects and sustainability initiatives. Apply for either $200 for clean up event supplies, NEW $300 Right NOW! Student Action Grant, or $1,000 for waste reduction themed projects. Applications are accepted year-round, based on funding availability.
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Cook County Climate Stewards Program- Fall 2026
October - November
The University of Illinois Extension Climate Stewards program is a four-week, interactive program led by university scientists and IL Extension that equips community members with the tools they need to communicate effectively about climate change, activate local collective solutions, and motivate others to join them.
Oct. 23, Randolph County Farm Bureau Building, 1403 N Hillcrest Drive, Sparta, IL
Join EEAI and the U of I Extension Office in Sparta to grow your skills in building youth-adult partnerships that enact change with the Earth Force process. This workshop will provide educators with a full overview of how to guide students through the 6-step Earth Force process.
SCARCE: Repair Fair
Oct. 29, 9 am - 12 pm, 800 S. Rohlwing, Addison, IL 60101
Come out for SCARCEâs 4th Repair Fair! Experts will be on-site to perform simple repairs on household items. Stop by this free event to see how a simple and affordable repair can make treasured items feel like new.
America Recycles Day
Nov. 15
The National Recycling Coalition and Keep America Beautiful have joined together to celebrate the benefits of recycling. Recycling is a great way to reuse valuable items and reduce our footprint on earth. Currently, there are over 3,000 events happening nationally!
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This newsletter was created by Seven Generations Ahead.
Funding for Zero Waste Schools is provided by Food:Land:Opportunity, a collaboration between Kinship Foundation and The Chicago Community Trust and funded through the Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust.
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