Let's Knock Out Waste in Missoula!
Home ReSource's Zero Waste Ambassador Program, 2021-2022
What is ZWAP!?
Home Resource's Zero Waste Ambassador Program, ZWAP!, is an inquiry based education program for fifth graders in the Missoula area. This program is designed to help students think critically about our stuff - where it comes from in the world, where it goes when we're done with it, and what they can do to create a more sustainable future.
The ZWAP! Message
The Zero Waste Educators at Home ReSource provide an in-school lesson and field trip to Home ReSource for almost 100% of fifth grade classrooms in Missoula each year. The NGSS aligned curriculum supports three key messages:
- We have a CHOICE. Materials aren’t waste until they’re wasted.
- There are a lot of ACTIONS we can take to reduce waste. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Request, Rot.
- We can make a DIFFERENCE by choosing to reduce waste every day. Choice + Action = Difference.
Engage, Empower, Inspire
Through ZWAP!, we aim to help students become ENGAGED in problem solving around waste, EMPOWERED with the skills and knowledge to be Zero Waste Ambassadors, and INSPIRED to knock out waste in Missoula. At the conclusion of ZWAP!, our hope is that students will have an increased understanding of waste and how to reduce it, and feel more confident in their ability to evaluate real-world problems, identify sustainable solutions, and share with others these important concepts.
ZWAP! through the years
The Zero Waste Ambassador Program started in 2015 and has grown immensely through the years. ZWAP! now includes an online learning portion and reaches schools throughout Montana and beyond. The Zero Waste Educators at Home ReSource visited 38 classrooms during the 2021-2022 school year and led 33 field trips at Home ReSource. This was the biggest year yet in ZWAP! participation.
Click below to check out ZWAP!'s online learning tools
Slide the bar to see the change in school locations and numbers between ZWAP's first year, 2016, and 2022. Click on the icons to see classroom participation numbers.
Missoula International School and Montana Online Academy participated in our 2021-2022 ZWAP! but are not pictured.
2022, ZWAP!'s biggest year yet!
ZWAP! student numbers through the years
ZWAP! experienced a drop in participation numbers in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, but the spring of 2022 showed an upward trend in participation again.
We had a record number of students this year with total of 742 students participating in our classroom visits from 17 different schools. 611 students participated in the field trips to Home ReSource.
We're looking forward to an even bigger year in 2023 as we continue to build and expand the ZWAP! curriculum.
Zero Waste in action at MCPS Schools
The city of Missoula has a goal to be zero waste by 2050. This means 90% of "waste" is reduced, reused, recycled, composted, or repaired instead of being sent to the landfill. Missoula's landfill is set to fill up by 2035, so there is a sense of urgency to reduce waste to prevent the utilization of more land being attributed to garbage.
Home ReSource's Zero Waste Educator, Emma, helps students sort their lunchtime leftovers at Russell Elementary School.
The ZWAP! students are the future of Montana. They will play a massive role in keeping items out of the landfill as they grow in this community and will be the driving force behind getting Missoula to zero waste by 2050. And... They are excited by it!
Many of these students are putting our ZWAP! concepts into practice in their classrooms and cafeterias. In 2021, MCPS school, Jeannette Rankin Elementary, piloted a Zero Waste Cafeteria Program with the help of Home ReSource.
Jeremy Drake with Strategy Zero Waste Solutions, propelled the program forward in 2021/22 with the addition of three more zero waste cafeterias in Chief Charlo Elementary, Russell Elementary, and Lewis and Clark Elementary. Paxson Elementary will be added to this list in the fall, as they are also becoming a zero waste cafeteria! Each cafeteria has a set of five bins. One for each of the following: liquids, unopened-reusable foods, recycling, compost, and landfill waste. We have seen a significant amount of waste reduced with the addition of these bins, with an estimated 90% reduction by volume and 95% reduction by weight. That means more materials were reused, recycled, and composted, rather than sent to the landfill.
Home ReSource has played a supporting role by recruiting and training volunteers to be cafeteria coaches and developing a K-5 lesson plan teaching students how to sort their lunchtime leftovers. We've loved seeing students of all ages positively engage with our ZWAP! mission through waste reduction at mealtimes and begin to understand why the simple act of sorting our waste into different bins contributes to a healthier and more sustainable community. We are also continuously blown away by the support this program receives from principals, janitorial staff, and educators. This program would not be possible without them!
The MCPS Zero Waste Cafeteria Program is constantly expanding, and students always need help sorting their lunchtime leftovers. If you would like to sign up to volunteer as a Zero Waste Cafeteria Coach, please click below.
Slide the bar to see the change in zero waste cafeteria participation between the beginning of the program 2021 and now. Click on the icons to learn more about the schools.
Zero waste cafeteria participation between 2021 and 2022.
Want to learn more about ZWAP! and Home ReSource?
Programs in Action
Home ReSource provides many community programs including ZWAP!. We are excited to be partnering with the Montana Natural History Center, YWCA, Zootown Arts Community Center, and Missoula Parks and Recreation for summer camps in 2022. This allows us to continue spreading our ZWAP! message of empowerment and climate action throughout multiple age groups in Missoula.
Check out our ZWAP! report for full details on curriculum, data, and the program.
Most Importantly... Thank you, Educators!
A vision of a zero waste world drawn by a ZWAP! student
ZWAP! would not happen without the continued support and feedback from the teachers who particpate in this program. We appreciate the neverending belief in this program and our mission, and we admire the constant compassion and patience teachers show for their students. See ya next year!
