NASHUA – During the recent 10th annual School Recycling Conference Awards Luncheon, Nashua High School North biology teacher Steve Fitzgerald was named the Northeast Resource Recovery Association’s Teacher Recycler of the Year.

The Northeast Resource Recovery Association is a nonprofit organization made up of hundreds of businesses, individuals and municipalitie that provide information and resources on waste reduction and recycling.

The group manages The School Recycling CLUB, which is a non-profit group that helps schools create, maintain and improve recycling programs.

Each year, the School Recycling CLUB hosts a School Recycling Conference to celebrate recycling efforts in schools.

During this year’s conference, the group offered six workshops for attendees, which tackled issues such as plastic in the ocean, waste in landfills, learning about what happens when someone recycles, what career paths are a part of a recycling future and the sense of school recycling.

Teachers and students are invited every year to participate in hands-on activities and workshops.

The School Recycling Conference notes on its website that its conference has offered workshops on topics such as composting, Earth Day activities, implementing school recycling programs, Vermont’s TRY teams, green cleaning, introducing new recycling curricula, eliminating food waste, textile recycling and how nature recycles, among other topics.

During the conference, a total of nine awards, including Fitzgerald’s honor, were given out.

Fitzgerald, who has been a part of the Nashua School District since 1992, was nominated by Nashua Recycling Coordinator Sally Hyland for his “long-standing commitment to championing both school-wide and city-wide recycling efforts.”

He was recognized for his work in overseeing Nashua High School North’s Green Club, a student-run organization that utilizes the school’s greenhouse to grow herbs, basil, peppers, tomatoes and other crops, piloting a vermi-composting program, assisting with Hazardous Waste Collection and using North’s greenhouse to grow organic produce for local food pantries, among other accomplishments.

NRRA Board President Duncan Watson stated, “Teachers like Steve are essential in shaping the next generation of planet stewards. Not only is he a role model, his students will take his lessons with them all of their lives.”

Eight other awards were also handed out during the conference:

NH the Beautiful School Recycling Innovation Award ($500) Principal Owen Harrington, Dunbarton Elementary School, Dunbarton.

Best Composter Award John Stevens, Somersworth Middle School, Somersworth.

Individual Rookie Recycler of the Year Alex Kittridge, White Mountains Regional School District #36, Whitefield.

School Rookie Recycler of the Year Mountain Village Charter School, Plymouth.

Outstanding Community Involvement Jessie Jennings, Plymouth Recycling Center, Plymouth.

Facilities Staff Recycler of the Year Larry Hewey, Loudon Elementary School, Loudon.

Special Recognition Award – Ryan’s Recycling Ryan Hickman, California.

Special Recognition Award – School Strike 4 Climate Greta Thunberg, Sweden.

Grace Pecci may be reached at 594-1243 or gpecci@nashuatelegraph.com.

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