Martinez Keeps Going Green, With IKEA’s Help

When Scandinavian assemble-your-own furniture retail giant IKEA dropped off 30 new recycling bins at John S. Martinez School in Fair Haven, student council President Christian Ayapantecatl and Vice President Geovanelys Morales were ready to receive them, excited to build on all the progress the school has already made in sustainability.

That was the scene Thursday morning at John S. Martinez as IKEA’s New Haven location made its first of six total school visits to drop off over 200 recycling bins for middle and high schools to boost their classroom recycling efforts. IKEA New Haven donated more than $3,000 worth of trash and recycling bins to New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) in November.

Martinez was the Swedish furniture giant’s first stop at around 9 a.m to drop off 30 recycling bins. Later, the IKEA team headed to FAME, Wilbur Cross, King Robinson, Barack Obama Magnet, and Roberto Clemente schools. 

Ayapantecatl and Morales joined IKEA New Haven’s local marketing specialist, Bryan Sliech, and NHPS Energy and Sustainability Manager Michelle Martinelli as the bins were delivered Thursday. 

Sliech suggested that the district host a collection competition with the new recycling bins, and offered future partnership opportunities between the school board and IKEA. ​“When I heard about the sustainability program kicking off, I wanted to see how we can help. Anything we can do in the future … just let us know,” he said. 

While they placed bins in the school’s library, beside its hydroponic plant system (which students use to grow fresh vegetables for the school community), eighth-grader Ayapantecatl, and seventh-grader Morales came up with the idea of painting the recycling bins. It would help make students’ environmental contributions that much more fun throughout the day, they agreed. 

The students dropped off their first bin Thursday to math educator Julia Pisani, who in the past has spent her personal money to buy recycling bins for her classroom. 

Ayapantecatl and Morales agreed they are excited to continue their efforts to help their school community — and the world — by encouraging their peers to recycle more.

Martinez STEM teacher Alyssa Basso noted that the group’s next steps will be working together with the entire student council and the school principal to make a plan for how daily recycling pickup and cleaning of the bins will look. 

The goal is to distribute the bins, after decorating them, to 30 homeroom classrooms.

Sliech added Thursday that his team’s goal is to support ​“NHPS students and community in their sustainability efforts.” 

“We’re so happy to be part of this initiative with NHPS and are excited to continue working with each other in the future,” he said. 

Before heading to their next school, IKEA staff were impressed by the student council’s work collecting hundreds of bottles and cans last marking period. Huge bags of those recyclables were waiting to be redeemed, stored away in the library. Each month the students donate the proceeds from bottle collection to a local nonprofit. 

Last year, Martinez and several other schools around the district began a composting pilot in partnership with Blue Earth Compost. Blue Earth also donated a mini refrigerator to the James Street school which acts as its ​“community share fridge” in the cafeteria. The fridge is often filled with extra unopened cheese sticks, fruit, and yogurt that one student may not want but another might. Ayapantecatl and Morales said the fridge is typically cleared by hungry students by the end of each day. 

Ayapantecatl said that as student council president, he plans to arrange a meeting with the school’s leadership team to work out the logistics of the recycling program. 

The student council group also hosts a big and little program for seventh and eighth graders to buddy up with first and second graders and teach them about their leadership efforts, like recycling and composting. 

Morales said that during her meeting this week with her elementary buddy, they tested the younger students’ knowledge of what can and cannot be composted. 

“This is a great school to learn about what we need to learn. It’s a caring and very thoughtful school that will do anything for your child,” Morales concluded.

The student council also plans to continue advocating for additional school improvements, like upgrades to its playground and the reopening of the school’s pool.