GEC Celebrates Outcome of CA K-12 Schools Dishwasher Grant Funding
In 2023, Senator Anthony Portantino successfully championed $15 million in the CA budget for commercial dishwasher grants for K-12 schools in California to stem the tide of single-use foodware that flows from school cafeterias to landfills daily. During a brief application window earlier this year, schools were able to apply for $40,000 per kitchen for the purchase and installation of industrial dishwashers, to allow them to switch from disposable to reusable foodware and offer the daily, sustainable experience of re-use to students. Commercial dishwashers use little water, heat to high temperatures for complete sanitation, dry quickly, and are fast and energy efficient. Machines have a 15-year lifecycle, provide significant financial savings over time, and help future-proof district budgets from the rising costs of waste management and single-use disposable foodware. Glendale Environmental Coalition (GEC) and Green Lunchroom were co-sponsors of the original legislative proposal, SB 1255. You can read more about the benefits, the many partner organizations and the local inspiration for this statewide grant here and here.
Today we celebrate the outcome! According to the final grant tally, 324 schools in California will be installing dishwashers with that money, which totaled $9,745,351. This will make a huge impact!
CONGRATULATIONS GLENOAKS & FREMONT ELEMENTARIES!
Congratulations to local parent advocates for working with their principals and GUSD to win dishwasher grants for two Glendale elementary schools: Glenoaks Elementary and Fremont Elementary! ! With these two new installations, there will be four dishwashers in the district total: Franklin Elementary, Fremont Elementary, Glenoaks Elementary and John Muir Elementary. This is something the district can be very proud of and we encourage them to KEEP GOING!
What does it take to get a dishwasher makeover for your school kitchen? (1) gather parent support; (2) get the principal on board; (3) request support from the district and discuss feasibility by reaching out to your district’s Nutrition Service Director and Facilities Director (4) discuss how it could be paid for with a California Department of Education (CDE) Equipment Grant (Due Oct 14, 2024 – annual grant) and any supplemental funding available from private/corporate donations or your school’s foundation, if applicable.
Need funding for reusable foodware? Investigate various grant programs from nonprofits such as Plastic Free Restaurants, Stop Waste and ReThink Disposable.
Want more info on making this transition? Check out the Center for Environmental Health’s Ditching Disposables Toolkit!
Taking this program national: A team of waste warriors and health advocates have united to collect data on the impact of this dishwasher grant in California and propose national legislation to expand the program to all schools in the U.S. If you would like to get involved in the effort, please reach out to us at contact@gec.eco.
See the full list of grant awardees:
LEARN MORE / RELATED POSTS:
$15 Million to Reduce Single-Use Plastic Waste in K-12 Schools Approved for CA State Budget!
Glendale Environmental Coalition Celebrates New Funding for K-12 California Schools to Purchase and Install Dishwashers to Reduce Waste
SB 1255 Letter to Supporters
SB 1255 (Portantino), which would have offered grants to K-12 Schools to purchase and install dishwashers to reduce waste and waste related costs, was vetoed by Governor Newsom, but hope lives on!
K-12 Dishwasher Grant Bill Headed to Governor’s Desk!
Portantino Dishwasher Bill Inspired by the Glendale Environmental Coalition Headed to the Governor’s Desk!
GEC Co-Sponsors SB 1255 (Portantino)
GEC is proud to have helped initiate and to co-sponsor Senator Portantino’s SB 1255: Grant Funding for Dishwashers for K-12 Schools and Community Colleges, to reduce single-use waste and related costs
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