On Oct. 21, the Parent Teacher Association will introduce a new initiative to the 35th annual International Food Fair.  While usual attractions—like game booths and Haunted House—remain, the fair will be more environmentally friendly when it comes to the food stands. Food fair booths run by TAS parents are cutting down on one-time use plastics and using more environmentally friendly paper products, as a result of a eco-minded push from PTA members.
Food Fair Head Mrs. Rebecca Kintzley says that “the PTA had gone through leftover paper products from past years to use up what [they] have first” since it would be a waste to throw away existing Food Fair materials. The committee has also begun to order more environmentally friendly paper products, so a mix of both will appear at Food Fair. Parents will bring in used paper bags before Food Fair so that these bags can be used for takeaways.
In addition, water will no longer be offered in disposable plastic bottle form. “The TAS athletic water bottle will be sold, coming filled and with free refills,” she says. The PTA will attempt to cut down on paper and plastic cups for drinks, with the exception of aluminum cans.
This move towards going green also aligns with school policy, an additional reason why Food Fair pushed for its implementation. Other initiatives such as StuGov’s banning of disposable cups play an important role in making TAS more environmentally friendly. Even though the green initiative only targets TAS parent-run booths this year, Mrs. Kintzley says that they might extend this green initiative in the future to external vendors. “Gradual change, sustainable change” is the key to going green, says Mrs. Kintzley.