by Andrew Alonzo | aalonzo@claremont-courier.com

Sixth-grader Maggie Medero raised concerns at the September 5 CUSD Board of Education meeting about Sycamore Elementary School’s lunch trays, suggesting the Styrofoam models used at the district’s seven elementary schools be replaced with cardboard.

“At Sycamore, we use 825 Styrofoam trays every week,” the 11-year-old said. “Cardboard trays are better than Styrofoam because cardboard composts and recycles, and Styrofoam does neither.”

On October 30 she learned her calls were heeded, and compostable lunch trays would be implemented at all CUSD elementary schools. (El Roble Intermediate, Claremont, and San Antonio high schools do not use lunch trays.) On November 18, the trays were in use. The new trays are made up of at least 25% recycled material and 75% renewable resources and are produced by Huhtamaki.

(L-R) Sycamore Elementary School Principal Amy Stanger, Maggie Medero, CUSD Nutrition Services Director Brenda Zarate, and Sycamore Cafeteria Manager Nora Romero. Photo/courtesy of CUSD

The budding activist reminded the board and officials on September 5 that CUSD was recognized in the spring with the United States Department of Education Green Ribbon School District Sustainability Award for its sustainability efforts. CUSD was also designated by the California Department of Education as a green achiever.

“One thing we could do to be more sustainable is make the switch from Styrofoam to cardboard [lunch trays],” Maggie said. “Other school districts have already made the switch. An example of that is LA Unified School District which stopped using Styrofoam 12 years ago, before I was born, after a group of middle school students spoke out against Styrofoam.”

Maggie’s push for new lunch trays was sparked in part by her annoyance at having to remove Styrofoam trays from the school’s active compost pile as part of her duties with Sycamore’s green team.

“It kind of surprised me that our school is still using Styrofoam, even though it’s like, 2024,” she said. “That kind of confused me as, like, really? We’re still using hundreds and hundreds of Styrofoam trays every week, and this is totally fine with everyone?”

Maggie said her peers shared in her frustration.

“I didn’t know how many people actually realized this was a problem and cared about it,” she said. “I think it made me realize how many people actually cared, and that was cool.”

“Foam trays were in use for more than 25 years,” CUSD spokesperson Elaine Kong wrote in an email. “In 2011-2012, we initially transitioned to a compostable tray, but due to higher costs, the district returned to foam trays in 2013. Foam trays remained in use until this recent switch to compostable trays.”

Sycamore sixth-grader Maggie Medero with one of the new cardboard trays she successfully lobbied CUSD to utilize. Courier photo/Andrew Alonzo

The switch will cost more, but will save in other ways.

“The compostable trays are about twice the cost of foam trays, making this an added expense for the district’s Nutrition Services Department,” Kong wrote. “The goal of switching to compostable trays is to reduce the district’s environmental impact. Unlike foam trays, compostable trays break down naturally, helping lower pollution and greenhouse gas emissions while promoting sustainability.”

Maggie comes from a culture of environmental consciousness. Her mother Julie is co-chair of Sustainable Claremont, and her father Shawn helps maintain their vast garden at home. Maggie also attributes her time with Sycamore’s green team and the school’s curriculum with fostering her interest in the environment. Her father said he’s proud of his young activist, a sentiment reinforced after hearing praise for her efforts from school principals at a recent CUSD Equity Advisory Council meeting.

Her parents were key inspirations to act, she said. “I think I had just complained about it for a very long time and my parents were like, you should probably do something about this,” she said.

She first approached her teacher before moving to Principal Amy Stanger. After, she held talks with Sustainable Claremont reps and the Sycamore kitchen staff before moving up the CUSD chain of command. Following her September 5 comment, Maggie spoke with Brenda Zarate, CUSD Nutrition Services Director, and soon the new trays made their way to elementary cafeterias.

Maggie hopes to inspire others around CUSD to take sustainability efforts more seriously.

“Because if they don’t then I don’t know if they’re going to like and enjoy the world that they grow up to live in,” she said. “And given how much they complain, I don’t want to listen to that.”