This fall, students in the Earth Task Force at New Vista High School worked in collaboration with the school’s video class to inform the community about their current Green Star School Status. The Green Star is achieved through a program that EcoCycle offers the school district of BVSD, and the certification encourages zero waste practices from the students and staff, by providing trash, recycling, and compost services.

New Vista is currently the only high school in the Boulder Valley School District that has been awarded with this zero waste certificate. Unfortunately, this opportunity and status is under threat of being revoked due to the fact that school waste has not been decreasing. For New Vista to retain its Green Star, students and staff must increase their composting and recycling and exhibit a significant drop in trash.

With the consequence of losing their status as a Green Star school, members of the ETF action team partnered with the popular video production club at the school called “Them Are Shoes.” Following the style of a DIRECT TV ad, students from both groups wrote a script and filmed a video about the consequences of losing the zero waste certificate. To capture the attention of the adolescent audience, ETF members Cassidy Lam and Peter Rudman wrote a humorous screenplay about the impending threat of a zombie apocalypse beginning due to the neglect of the green star regulations.

Over the course of two weeks, ETF members cast and filmed the video. With the help of students who specialize in “Them Are Shoes” productions, the short movie was ready to show during a school-wide assembly in early November.

Written by Cassidy Lam, ETF student

About Earth Task Force: The Earth Task Force (ETF) is a Cottonwood Institute supported program at New Vista High School in Boulder, CO designed to give students an opportunity to take the lead to implement sustainability initiatives at their school.