School of Inquiry and Life Sciences at Asheville
Project Title:
Be Fantastic, Use Plastic!
Total Grant Request (limit $2,500 per grant)
Applicants’ Names:
Total points________/65
$__120.00__
Anna C, Jessica C, and Chelsea C
English period 1A
2010 Sustainability Project Grant Application
Underwritten by Progress Energy Grant via Asheville City Schools Foundation
(Initial grant proposal written by SILSA Seniors Eli Harrod, Calum Dodson, and Jo Sze)
GUIDELINES: The goal of the SILSA Sustainability Project grant is to implement environmentally sustainable projects on our school
campus. The project should increase student knowledge and awareness of sustainability. Requests may range from $0-$2500.
Grant proposal and visual aid are due to your A day teachers, Mrs. Rudd or Mr. Harrington on
Thursday, January 21st by 5 pm
List of commitments needed for long-term sustainability: (4 points) (e.g., Greg Townsend, Carol Ray, Allen Johnson, Bob McGratten,
Board members, custodians, SILSA volunteers, etc)
 Cafeteria Staff
 Custodians
 Volunteers
 Greg Townsend
 Carol Ray
 Allen Johnson
 Teachers on lunch duty to monitor correct use of bins and plastic trays
 Students
1. Abstract: Write a one paragraph summary of this grant proposal (5 points).
Our goal is to reduce the overall waste produced by Asheville High School. We plan on getting rid of the Styrofoam trays in the
cafeteria and using only the reusable plastic trays for both indoor and outdoor use in the cafeteria. In order to keep people from
throwing the plastic trays away, we plan on purchasing twelve bins to put on the garbage cans outside the cafeteria. This will save
both money and waste produced by Asheville High School because Styrofoam trays will no longer be needed. By stopping this use of
Styrofoam trays, we will save up to approximately $3,000 per school year ($2,979). The calculations for how this was determined can
be found below in either the “Math Section,” or, the “Cost Benefit Analysis Section.” The use of reusable trays will put an end to the
waste created in landfills by the Styrofoam currently used. We have spoken to the cafeteria managers and they have told us that there
are enough plastic, reusable trays to serve lunch solely with those.
2. Project Summary:
a. Why is this project needed? (Include relevant background information preferably with numbers)
i. What problem does this solve on campus? (3 points)
A tremendous number of people eat lunch at the Asheville High School cafeteria every day. After the lunch period is
over, the cafeteria is littered with trash, including the Styrofoam trays. Students should be able to clean up after
themselves and not rely on the custodians to do so for them. Students should also recognize that by littering they are
negatively impacting the earth. Besides the littering, the Styrofoam trays create unnecessary waste. The school already
owns reusable plastic trays that can be used instead which would reduce the amount of waste Asheville High School
produces. Also, by ending our purchases of Styrofoam lunch trays, we would save approximately $3,000 per school
year. An astonishing twenty-five billion Styrofoam cups are discarded per year in the U.S.
(http://www.emagazine.com/view/?2933) and by implementing this project 90,000 less Styrofoam trays would be put
into landfills per year. Asheville High School needs to do its part in slowing the rate of Styrofoam use.
ii. What greater purpose does it serve? (3 points)
The Styrofoam trays in the cafeteria contribute greatly to the amount of waste in landfills. Styrofoam can take up to
one million years to decompose (http://behealthyandrelax.com/2007/11/how-long-does-it-take-to-decompose/) so if
we can reduce the amount of Styrofoam thrown away, that would make a huge difference in helping to keep the earth
a safe, clean place. Styrofoam is made of polystyrene which has been proven to have many negative qualities.
Polystyrene produces toxins that can harm the human body. Some of these toxins are Styrene and Benzene which can
get into food packaged or served on Styrofoam. When Styrene gets into a consumer, it builds up in fat cells, causing
b.
symptoms such as nervousness, insomnia, and depression. Benzene is a known carcinogen, meaning it can cause
cancer in humans. Another problem with Styrofoam is that it is produced with petroleum. This product is becoming
scarcer and is also a cause of pollution. When Styrofoam is produced, hydroflourocarbons are also used which are
known to harm the ozone layer. Yet another problem with Styrofoam is that it is harmful to animals. Styrofoam is
often consumed by animals which can clog their digestive systems and cause them to starve
(http://erasecarbonfootprint.blogspot.com/2009/09/why-is-styrofoam-bad-for-environment.html and
http://the-green-campaign.blogspot.com/2009/01/what-you-should-know-about-styrofoam.html and
http://bss.sfsu.edu/raquelrp/projects/Styrofoam.ppt#280,24,Styrofoam Components: CFCs).
iii. Why is it important? (3 points)
This project is important because, bottom line, it will make our school more sustainable. Everybody and everything
relies on the earth. If we aren't caring for the earth, we are essentially not caring for ourselves either. We need to begin
to end the use of non-sustainable, non-recyclable products so that we can help conserve the earth. If we continue to
focus on only the cheap, short-term solutions, the next generations will have to deal with the consequences. Our
project offers a more long-term solution and will continually benefit the earth and our school.
What math, English, science and social studies concepts did you or will you learn from this project?
i. Math: (3 points)
We will learn many important math concepts from the sustainability project. We will learn how to do cost benefit
analysis which is an important skill to have as we progress towards leaving school and entering the work force. We
figured out how much money would be saved by implementing this project and how long it would take to break even.
In order to determine the amount of money Asheville High would save each school year, we performed the following
calculations:
How much money will be saved by implementing this project?
We need 180 days in each school year. We divided that number by five to determine the number of weeks in the
school year: 180/5 = 36 weeks. Each case of Styrofoam trays costs us $16.55 and we’ve been informed that the
school uses approximately five cases per week. That means each week the school spends 16.55 * 5 = $82.75 per
week. So, $82.75 * 5 weeks = $2,979. This means if we eliminated use of Styrofoam we would save $2,979 every
school year.
How many Styrofoam trays would be saved by implementing this project?
We would also reduce our contribution to landfills by ending our use of Styrofoam trays. Since we use five cases of
500 trays per week, that means we use 5 * 500 = 2500 trays per school week. We then determined that we use 2500
trays * 36 weeks = 90,000 Styrofoam trays every school year! If we ended our use of Styrofoam trays in the Asheville
High School cafeteria, there would be 90,000 less Styrofoam trays in North Carolina landfills every year.
How many dumpsters would be filled if we implemented this project?
Finally, we calculated how many dumpsters we fill with Styrofoam trays every school year. Here are our calculations:
Volume of the Styrofoam tray: 1.5 in. * 9.5 in. * 8.5 in. = 121 in.³
Volume of the dumpster: 75.5 in. * 68.4 in. * 73.2 in. = 378, 520 in.³
We throw away 90,000 trays every year, so the total volume of the trays thrown out every year = 90,000 * 121 in.³ =
10,890,000 in.³
To find the number of dumpsters, we divided the volume of the total trays by the volume of the dumpsters:
10,890,000/378,520 = 28.76 dumpsters!
We will also learn and practice how to lay out a budget which requires us to research different prices and choose the
most cost-effective option. This is a skill that can be used at work as well as for personal life. Finally, we will utilize
our basic arithmetic and logic skills.
ii. English: (3 points)
From the sustainability project, we will definitely gain English skills. One of the first ways that we will gain English
skills is simply by writing the grant proposal. It requires us to write professionally and clearly while using proper
grammar, spelling, and usage. Besides writing, English class is also about learning how to communicate your ideas
well and easily with people. We will improve our communication skills by studying soft skills, preparing our
advertisement, and presenting our proposals to our peers and teachers on the twenty-second of January. While
creating both our advertisement and proposal we will need to practice our persuasive rhetoric skills which we've
already begun studying in English.
iii. Science: (3 points)
This project requires us to establish an understanding of climate change, greenhouse gases, and global warming. For
our proposal specifically, we gained an understanding of the chemicals produced by Styrofoam and how Styrofoam
can negatively impact the Earth. We are also learning about decomposition and how it can change as the environment
changes which has all to do with science. Styrofoam or, polystyrene has a chemical formula which is,
(C8H8)n (http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Polystyrene). Anna, Chelsea, and Crabtree are all taking
Chemistry this school year so the chemical formula and properties tie into what we are already learning. Finally, we
are also learning about the ozone layer. We have learned what it is made up of (which is related to allotropes), and
which compounds are harmful to it.
Above: The structure of polystyrene (styrofoam)
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polystyrene )
Styrofoam is bonded together with covalent bonds made of mostly Hydrogen and Carbon. This
chemical is un-reactive and stable because of the carbon double-bonds which form less reactive single bonds.
These single bonds are more stable than double bonds. The attraction between molecules is strong because of
the molecules and long hydrocarbon chains that are made of thousands of atoms. Since this chemical contains
Carbon, polystyrene is a part of organic chemistry.
iv. Social Studies: (3 points)
Social studies are also an area in which we are gaining new skills. In order to get our project approved, we have to
communicate our ideas to the administrators and, as Ms. Byron says, not take "no" for an answer. We have learned
how many people's support and opinions you need to get to truly accomplish anything in the world. We have to speak
out for our beliefs and attempt to gain others’ support. More specifically, we also learned about the Public Education
in North Carolina and all the different levels of administrators there are in the education system. We will also learn
more in this area when we present our proposals to the judges, which can be compared to the City Council Simulation
we did in Civics and Economics earlier this year. We also learned about the Montreal Protocol which was an
international treaty, pledging to reduce CFC production levels by 50%. CFC is a chemical that is harmful to the ozone
and 35 countries signed the Montreal Protocol, including the United States.
(http://bss.sfsu.edu/raquelrp/projects/Styrofoam.ppt#285,28,Montreal Protocol). This shows that with political and
governmental action, changes can be made towards bettering the environment.
c.
What materials and resources (e.g., custodial or volunteer labor, space, etc) are needed for this project? (5 points)
Here are the materials and resources required to implement our proposal:

Twelve plastic bus/utility bins (see above link)

Custodian support

Signs for the bins

Teachers on lunch duty to monitor trash cans and the bins for trays.

Volunteers to make the signs (which will be Anna, Crabtree, and Chelsea)
d.
Project Implementation:
i. What will need to be done to implement the project? (3 points)
In order to implement this project, we will need faculty support. Once we have support, we will need to move the flattopped square trash cans from inside the cafeteria to the outside of the cafeteria. This way, we will have space to put
the bins and signs. We will need to buy the bins for the plastic trays and stop the cafeteria from buying more
Styrofoam trays. The final step in the process will be putting the bins on the trash cans and hanging the signs.
ii. Who will implement it? (3 points)
In order for this project to succeed, Carol Ray, Greg Townsend, the custodians, the Cafeteria Manager, and the
volunteers (Crabtree, Chelsea, and Anna) will need to implement it.
iii. Include information about the project’s long-term sustainability (what will need to be done, who will be
doing it and for how long?) (3 points)
In order for this project to be sustained, the bins for the trays will need to be collected daily and cleaned. The
custodians already collect the Styrofoam trays left out after lunch and if this proposal is implemented, the custodians
will simply need to collect the bins. The cafeteria already has dishwashers so washing the plastic trays shouldn't be a
problem. The students must commit to putting the trays in the designated bins. We hope that this project will be
sustained throughout Asheville High School's existence.
e. How would this project support environmental education for students on this campus? (3 points)
This project will definitely help educate students about how to care for the environment and also build up environmental
awareness. Students will get into the habit of not littering at school which will, most likely, be a reflection of their littering habits
at home. We will also place signs by the bins explaining the purpose and reasons for the bins which will raise awareness. Also,
all the students eat lunch in the cafeteria and will notice the absence of the Styrofoam trays. Questions will be asked about it
which will also raise awareness. If our proposal goes into effect, we will make an informative PSA to put on the announcements
making students aware or the bins and their uses.
f. How will you measure the success of this project? (3 points)
We plan on measuring the success of the project on whether or not plastic trays are being put into the bins. This is the main
change that this project will make and if people are using the bins correctly, we will consider the project a success.
2. Please provide a project timeline. (5 points)
January 21: Turn in grant proposal
January 29: Notify teachers and custodians of bins/ tray changes
February 5: Purchase bins for trays
February 10: Move flat-topped trash cans outdoors and rounded trash cans indoors
February 12: Stop purchasing Styrofoam trays
February 15: Bins are put onto trash cans and signs are put up by bins by volunteers
3. Cost-benefit analysis: (5 points)
Monetary Benefits:
In order to determine the amount of money Asheville High would save each school year, we performed the following calculations:
We need 180 days in each school year. We divided that number by five to determine the number of weeks in the school year: 180/5 = 36
weeks. Each case of Styrofoam trays costs us $16.55 and we’ve been informed that the school uses approximately five cases per week.
That means each week the school spends 16.55 * 5 = $82.75 per week. So, $82.75 * 5 weeks = $2,979. This means if we eliminated use
of Styrofoam we would save $2, 979 every school year.
Environmental Benefits:
We would also reduce our contribution to landfills by ending our use of Styrofoam trays. Since we use five cases of 500 trays per week,
that means we use 5 * 500 = 2500 trays per school week. We then determined that we use 2500 trays * 36 weeks = 90,000 Styrofoam
trays every school year! If we ended our use of Styrofoam trays in the Asheville High School cafeteria, there would be 90,000 less
Styrofoam trays in North Carolina landfills every year.
4. Budget: Please use the table below to detail the budget for this project (5 points)
Date
2-5-10
2-5-10
Materials or hours of labor
12 bins (see link below)
Shipping for bins
2-15-10
Signs for bins
Total Cost
Expenses
$120
$0.00 (Free for orders more
than $50.00
$0.00 (will be donated by
volunteers (Anna, Chelsea,
Crabtree)
$120.00
Bins for trays: http://www.rubbermaidcommercialproducts.com/3349-Bus-Utility-Box-Pack-of-12-p696.html
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Applicant Signature
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Applicant Signature
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Applicant Signature
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I have reviewed this request, support it and affirm that school/system monies are unavailable.
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Signature of Principal/Administrator
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