Student sustainability committee details waste pilots, green-ribbon bid at Jefferson Union board meeting

The Jefferson Union High School District board heard an annual update from its student-led Sustainability Committee on Monday night, where students described efforts to reduce campus waste, pursue Green Ribbon Schools recognition, and expand districtwide sustainability education.

"If 20% of the trash is contaminated, it's just going to end up in the waste," said Emma Kim, a junior and member of the committee’s waste-management subcommittee, describing the contamination problem the students identified during a Recology audit. She outlined steps the committee has taken: improved tri-bin signage, a schoolwide "waste week," waste monitors at lunch and classroom presentations to build "waste literacy."

The committee reported 27 members representing every comprehensive high school, with 12 students serving on subcommittees focused on waste, Green Ribbon Schools, and communications. Teacher Joel Brooks summarized the Green Ribbon application work, saying the district performed well on energy- and green-space indicators but fell short on documentation and data tracking required by the 34‑page application. "We will apply again next year and we have a base to start from," Brooks said.

Communications lead Kelsey Watley described outreach that included Instagram infographics for environmental awareness days and a volunteer beach cleanup run with the Pacifica Beach Coalition. The cleanup attracted 50 volunteers and collected 1,300 cigarette butts, 13 pounds of recycling and 76 pounds of garbage, she said.

Board members praised the students’ leadership and pressed for next steps on implementation. Trustee Gutter asked whether the schools planned to scale the waste-sorting work after pilots; students said pilots used advisory lessons and in-person sorting activities and that obtaining staff or kitchen-crews as paid monitors remains a challenge because of scheduling and labor rules. The committee discussed incentive options (community service hours, gift cards) and explained legal and logistical hurdles that pushed some proposals into future planning.

Deputy Superintendent Tina Van Raphor and staff pledged continued district support for data collection and coordination across campuses. The board encouraged the committee to continue documenting outcomes that will strengthen future grant or application submissions. The board paused the meeting to take a photo with the students and volunteers.

The Sustainability Committee said its next goals are expanding waste-monitor pilots, improving district signage, strengthening cross-site coordination, and re-applying for Green Ribbon recognition once additional energy and health metrics are compiled.