Dear LREI Community,

You may have heard over the course of the year that SE1 has been thinking about (and picking up) and trying to reduce the amount of garbage/waste in our school and community. Recently, the first graders decided they wanted to eliminate the plastic that wraps our utensils, napkins, and cups and they asked Chef Eric if it would be ok to replace this with reusable containers. He said yes (yay!) and the first graders have researched how much the alternative will cost—$150.

To raise the money—and to help everyone prepare for the upcoming NYC plastic bag ban (which, in our opinion, isn’t strict enough)—-first graders turned old t-shirts into tote bags with the slogan: TOTE-ALLY 0x2020  which bounces off the orange bags the children have seen around the city that say zero waste by 2030. First graders think that’s too long to wait!

You don’t have to wait to get your upcycled tote and support their efforts to reduce waste. Stop by SE1 on Monday or Tuesday from 8:30-9am or 2:30-3pm. Totes are available for a sliding suggested donation of $1-$10.

Watch our commercial!