The Green Hero Award given every month is a program of the Cambridge Green Schools Initiative (CGSI), and the honor is given to individuals or groups who are making a significant contribution or impact towards environmental sustainability in the Cambridge Public School District. The honor is given by the school department’s Office for Sustainability.
The Green Hero for the month of March 2013 goes to Luisa Quintanilla, a beloved teacher at the Amigos School.
Luisa has gone above and beyond in coordinating the effort for the new “Food to Flowers” composting program at the Amigos School. She has been supportive every step of the way, and has helped garner support from students and staff.
With the Food to Flowers composting program, students gain first-hand experience of environmental stewardship and responsible citizenship outside of the classroom. Amigos will be recognized as an environmental leader for its green practices and for preparing well-rounded, socially responsible students. In addition, students will help the District to reduce the amount of waste that is disposed of as trash. Composting is a waste component of the Cambridge Green Schools Initiative (CGSI).
Besides translating materials to facilitate the use of them in the school and the community, Luisa has also worked closely with Meryl Brott, Recycling Program Manager, and our Sustainability Manager, Kristen von Hoffmann, to launch this composting initiative. Her support for environmentalism and her passion to engage the CPS community deserves to be highly recognized.