TOWNSHEND — Some of the results of the Leland & Gray Environmental Action Force (LEAF) group are below the surface, such as the garlic they recently planted beneath the snow.
Or reducing the amount of trash the school sends to the landfill by approximately 50 percent.
The small but committed group of students, teachers, and community members that comprise LEAF has made a striking impact at Leland & Gray, despite its sometimes subtle presence.
What is on the surface are prominently displayed posters, waste disposal stations, and reusable plastic trays in the cafeteria.
The L.E.A.F. team is working to replace remaining styrofoam and plastic utensils with reusable materials. They also hope to build a new greenhouse with a spring fundraiser, and build raised beds to grow plants into summer.
LEAF sprouted when art teacher Stephanie Nyzio realized that Leland & Gray had no plans marking for Earth Day.
Since Nyzio arrived at Leland & Gray in 2003, when a greenhouse still stood by the lower parking lot, she noticed the school's environmental initiatives decreasing.
When Earth Day passed with no mention, she and her carpool buddy, science teacher Mary Davis, decided to take action, and LEAF was born.
Change takes a lot of effort, reminds LEAF member Abi Winrich, a student at the high school.
As confirmation of this fact, another member reports on the state of the Band Room, where many recyclable plastic beverage bottles linger.
“The bottles in the band room looked like a giant Jenga,” says Carl Judd-Wright.
Winrich and Judd-Wright are two of the students who attend weekly lunch meetings in the Art Room with Nyzio.
Middle School students meet in the science classroom of Mary Davis. LEAF has been in existence for less than a year. In that time, the student organization has changed the school's waste management and offered other energy-saving tips as well.
“Hibernation Vacation” is the term that Nyzio uses to describe LEAF's efforts to power down the school during breaks. When students are gone for a week or more, reminders are sent out to unplug appliances. Volunteers go to each room to help out.
These basic programs are energy- and cost-efficient.
“[The] whole school bought in,” describes Jake Wilkins, a representative on the Student Council.
Outreach is a big part of LEAF's mission. Through colorful posters and informational announcements at assemblies, students attempt to educate the student body at large what and how to recycle and compost.
Erelyn Griffin, another LEAF member, weighs in. Awareness can lead to preservation, she says, and understanding leads to change.
Griffin blushes slightly when she explains her reasons for joining LEAF “[It's] better for the economy,” she says.
Another member, Nastia Stevens, is excited by a future hiking trip. Stevens joined the group inspired by the passion of her mother, who was an environmental studies major in college.
The actions of this student group coincide with the statewide implementation of Act 148.
Passed unanimously by the Vermont Legislature, Act 148 requires everyone in the state to recycle all metal, glass, plastics #1 and #2, paper, and cardboard by July 1 of this year. Next year, the law will extend to all leaf, yard debris, and clean wood, and by 2020, to all food scraps.
This means that everyone in the state must know how to compost within five years.
Leland & Gray's programs are supported by a state grant also awarded to two other schools, Brattleboro Union High School and Twin Valley.
Katherine Benoit, the program coordinator for the Windham County Solid Waste Management District, has helped implement this grant in the schools, and she says she is incredibly excited by what the students at Leland & Gray have already accomplished.