Plastic-free bake sale raises money and awareness

On Dec. 8, students from Climate Solutions class held a plastic-free bake sale. They donated all the money they raised to Long Beach Cleanup, a local environmental organization dedicated to protecting our beaches and oceans. 

The students, Muqaddim Attique, Reem Tahir, Aishah Hanisdeen, and John Lim, decided to run a plastic-free bake sale after learning about the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and doing research and a presentation on SDG #14, Life Under the Sea. According to the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the goal is to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development.

“The planet’s biggest ecosystem [oceans] is endangered,” said Attique. “People are throwing trash onto the beach and it is ending up in the water and harming sea life and other animals that are on the beach like birds and sea turtles.”

According to the students, having a plastic-free bake sale took planning and preparation. At first, they just thought of a bake sale to give a donation to Long Beach Clean Up. “Then we realized that it should be plastic-free, so we’re not adding to the problem,” said Hanisdeen.

They used reusable tablecloths instead of plastic ones, reusable trays to display the food, bakery paper instead of plastic gloves to serve it, and small compostable brown paper bags instead of plastic baggies. 

“We thought it was important for it to be plastic-free because when it’s plastic-free it is still as good but with less carbon footprints,” said Tahir. “Plastic releases greenhouse gasses,” added Hanisdeen. 

Keeping it plastic-free also meant that students and staff who brought desserts for the bake sale brought them in reusable containers. 

Parent Coordinator Ms. Rosie Moyano contributed cupcakes. She used a reusable and recyclable plastic container to transport the cupcakes from her home to school.  “I used a container, it holds 12 cupcakes and I use it all of the time. The same one,” said Moyano. 

Beach cleanups have been useful in reducing trash on beaches and Long Beach Cleanup will do more of them this spring. 

 “I’ve done a beach cleanup years ago and we picked up a lot of trash,” said Moyano.  She appreciates and loves all that this school has done to help reduce climate change. And her contribution to the bake sale by making homemade cupcakes was a way to help support that title. 

Climate Solutions teacher Mr. Adam Zaid was proud of the student’s efforts. “These students decided to take local action to a global problem,” he said. 

“I feel really blessed that we raised so much money for the Long Beach organization,” said Tahir.