Oceanside CA- As part of Oceanside’s Earth Month activities, the City of Oceanside, Oceanside Unified School District (OUSD) and students from Palmquist Elementary School and Lincoln Middle School announced the adoption of the OUSD Zero Waste Resolution. OUSD is the first district in California to formally adopt a Zero Waste Resolution with the goal of recycling 75% of their waste by the year 2020.
This goal will be achieved through the City of Oceanside sponsored Zero Waste Schools Program. This program is an extensive recycling and educational program designed to reduce waste, increase recycling and maximize cost savings through on-going education and monitoring.
The environmentally-friendly pact between the City and OUSD was highlighted during a unique celebration that featured students demonstrating a lunch time “sort station” and Palmquist’s quarter-acre organic garden complete with composting and solar powered aquaponics and irrigation that produces vegetables consumed by the students.

Mayor Wood congratulated the students attending the Zero Waste Recognition Ceremony telling them that being the first school district in the state to initiate the Zero Waste by 2020 program was a big deal “You may not realize it now but this is a really important thing, it ‘s really a big deal.” said Mayor Wood
Palmquist Elementary School Principal, Phyllis Morgan received an award from Colleen Foster and Mayor Wood for her role in launching the pilot program at Palmquist in December 2011. The school has increased its recycling rate to 85 percent, with an average cost savings of $600 monthly since the program began.