WS Chronicle

Photo by Timothy Ramsey

BY TIMOTHY RAMSEY 

THE CHRONICLE

Assisting local schools with growing food along with minimizing the global footprint is a win/win situation for all parties involved. McDonald’s highlighted its recycling program titled “McDonald’s Good Neighbor, Good Grounds” coffee grounds, which has existed since 2015, on April 22, Earth Day.

The event, which was held at the McDonald’s on Fernhurst Way in Greensboro, celebrated community members who are actively participating in sustainable living initiatives in the Triad.

The program, which helps divert used coffee grounds from the landfill by reusing them to add nutrients to soil or compost, is part of the company’s larger goal to minimize waist and increase in-restaurant recycling to 50 percent by the year 2020, sources say.  Through this initiative, Triad area restaurants donate over 25 pounds of grounds to local schools and community gardens each week.

Teachers and students from Bessemer Elementary School, representatives from the High Point Public Library Garden and members of Southern Guilford High School’s Future Farmers of America (FFA) chapter were featured for their participation in the program.

Southern Guilford senior and FFA chapter president, Gabriella Scalla, thinks this was a great idea that McDonald’s initiated to not only help the environment, but also help the schools with their soil production.

“We use the coffee grounds from McDonald’s in our compost at Southern Guilford High,” she said. “It’s very beneficial for us and also taking waste out of the landfill, which is really important.”

Hailey Frazier, Southern Guilford Agriculture teacher and FFA adviser, says that “in our FFA program we teach our kids that you have to take care of the world. People think that things won’t affect them, but it will.  If we can teach the kids that we can use things that are here to grow food, we will all be better for it in the end.”

Assistant Greensboro City Manager David Parrish attended the event to show his support for the sustainability work of this program and the community at large.

“We as a city are committed to sustainability so to have a corporate partner who’s willing to pledge their commitment to waste reduction is phenomenal,” Parrish said.  “I am a parent of three, so to be able to see a partner like McDonald’s partner with the schools sets a great example for the children.”

Local Triad McDonald’s owner Courtney Barnhill said the program benefits everyone involved and she is excited for the possibility of other locations building relationships with local schools to expand the program all over the Triad and beyond. “This is just our way to help and to give back and reduce our waste and reduce what’s going into the landfill,” she said.  “We are looking for more schools and community gardens to partner with at every Triad location.”

“I feel blessed and I feel like it is my social responsibility to teach the next generation on how to be sustainable and how to take care of our earth,” Barnhill continued.  “I try to go out to the community in any way I can so an event like this today is wonderful.  I am happy to be apart of it and I would love to see it spread to all 14,000 locations across the country, and that’s what McDonald’s is attempting to do.”