Last week, Chef Paul Correnty, with the help of the Bromfield Green Team, brought the school one step closer to being green: he removed disposable straws from the lunchroom and replaced them with something more eco-friendly.
Correnty began the initiative at Bromfield. “It’s come to our attention as a lot of people last month started the conversation about straws,” Correnty explained. “Straws are the number one cause of excrement and sewer waste backups because the grate that wastewater passes through is the perfect size for straws to get stuck.” He credited a recently-read book about straws and a viral photo of a bleeding turtle with a straw through its nose as why he decided it was time to get rid of disposable straws.
Chef Paul hands out reusable straws in the lunchroom. (Photos by Isabel Barton)
Correnty then brought the issue to the Green Team, the school’s environmental advocacy group, which has made major strides at Bromfield by implementing the composting system in the cafeterias and pushing for another water bottle filling station in the high school wing in addition to spreading environmental education and awareness. This isn’t Correnty’s first environmental push either; he is responsible for the elimination of Styrofoam and plastic silverware through the switch to reusable trays and metal cutlery.
The Green Team, advised by eighth-grade science teacher Joshua Clarke and 10th-grade global studies teacher Bryce Mattie-Brown, was immediately on board with the idea and began discussing what to do about the students who just really, really wanted to have a straw.
“At first,” Correnty said, “we wanted to bring in stainless steel straws. But those are manufactured in China out of material that is not the best. And if you want one that is well made in the United States, you have to pay about $10 each. But I still wanted to do something, and if somebody wants a straw, and enjoys a straw, they should be able to have a straw.”
The team turned to plastic, but reusable, straws of a sturdier variety. Correnty got in contact with Monster Straws, a company responsible for many straws at smoothie shops across the country. Monster Straws was happy to help out by providing the school with extra-wide straws in a variety of fun colors.
Charlie Pappas and Ian Miller put their new reusable straw to the test.
Correnty funded the straws out of pocket, paying $100 to purchase 700 straws for the entire Bromfield student body. These straws were more expensive than disposable straws, which were priced at around $20 for 5,000. “It’s a small investment to bring awareness,” Correnty said.
Straws were distributed at lunches Thursday, May 17, after Clarke gave a speech on the harms of straws. Each student is expected to preserve a straw by taking it home after using it at lunches, cleaning it, and bringing it back to school. Complaints were raised about the hassle of the new straws and the question of whether students would just throw them away after one use.
Junior Daisy Benson, student Green Team leader, acknowledged that while most students would probably not use a reusable straw or just throw theirs away, that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. She explained that “if you go and get a straw, then you clearly want to get a straw. It’s a self-selecting sample. The people who throw the [reusable] straws away probably won’t ask for another. But the people who really care about the straws, because they don’t like the milk carton texture, will remember to bring it back.”
She went on to explain that “the first [straw] will be complimentary, but after a specific amount of time passes, we might sell them. Many people think its too much of a hassle to bring a straw to school, which is even better, because then there are no straws.”
“We are the incoming generation so we need to learn how to recycle and reuse and be environmentally aware,” she concluded. “With what’s happening politically, I think it’s especially important for the younger generation to understand that the world isn’t an endless source of resources.”
Correnty echoed this view. “Some people think you have to go from here to here,” he said, gesturing with his hands to indicate a broad swath of space, “but it’s really just incremental and the logical continuation of our efforts at Bromfield. This is an educational moment, and isn’t just about straws at a single school.”
And the next step for Bromfield? Clarke wants solar panels.
Kate Selig is a Bromfield junior.
