June 11—Last school year, then fifth-grader Lucas Konrad-Parisi took note of the piles of polystyrene foam plates in the H.B. Whitehorne Middle School cafeteria, part of the Verona (N.J.) Public Schools. Knowing the environmental issues associated with the product, Lucas reached out to teacher Anthony Saltalamacchia, who is in charge of the school's environmental club.
Because of Konrad-Parisi's efforts, now more than 100 people have signed a petition requesting that the use of polystyrene foam be discontinued in Verona public school cafeterias.