On Monday, April 14, Rye Country Day officially welcomed an exciting new addition to its sustainability efforts. Thanks to the generosity of current parents Jean and Tracy Joseph P'34, P'36, the School partnered with Ecotone Renewables earlier this winter to install ZEUS (Zero Emission Upcycling System), an anaerobic digester that facilitates sustainable food waste management on campus.

Housed in a twenty-foot upcycled shipping container behind the dining hall along Boston Post Road, ZEUS features a patented anaerobic food waste processing system that reduces carbon footprint, while saving time and resources. 

All food waste from RCDS dining halls is now being fed into the ZEUS digester, where it is mixed with water and ground into a liquid slurry. The slurry is digested by microbes in ZEUS's air-tight “stomach.” The liquid byproduct is bottled into Soil Sauce, a nutrient-rich plant fertilizer that infuses powerful macro and micronutrients into a variety of plantings, including flower, herb, and vegetable gardens and house plants.

At the ribbon cutting ceremony, Head of School Randall Dunn expressed his deep thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Joseph, and highlighted the digester’s educational value and its role in cultivating environmental stewardship. “ZEUS is augmenting students’ awareness and action around caring for our beautiful planet,” he said. Describing the students who have taken the lead to spread awareness about Zeus on campus, Mr. Dunn said, “I know you will, as I do, feel proud and inspired by these passionate young leaders.”

Director of Sustainability Kerry Linderoth described the progress that ZEUS represents for RCDS sustainability efforts. “For over 10 years, we have been composting and measuring our food waste daily with the support of our wonderful food service provider, FLIK. While composting off site is certainly better than sending our food scraps to the landfill, there are still significant carbon emissions associated with hauling our food waste off campus. With ZEUS, we will be able to process our food waste directly on site, which greatly lowers our carbon footprint and provides endless educational opportunities,” she explained.

The numbers related to Zeus are impressive. “Since we began using ZEUS in January, Rye Country Day has already diverted 5,337 pounds of food waste and 30 tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere!” Ms. Linderoth shared. “And the resulting spoil sauce is being used in RCDS campus landscaping, gardens, and classroom science experiments.”

Students in all three are learning about Zeus at their community meetings, and some classes, clubs, and committees have already had a tour. All students will also have the opportunity to tour ZEUS during the upcoming Earth Day Fair on April 22.

Representatives from the Lower School Growing Green Club, Middle School Green Team, and Upper School Environmental Club then addressed the audience, representing the important role of youth in securing a sustainable future. EcoTone representative Elliott Bennett, also shared his gratitude and excitement.

An enthusiastic group—including Mr. and Mrs. Joseph, student environmental leaders, teachers, administrators, and Ecotone partners—assembled for the celebratory ribbon cutting, officially welcoming Zeus to RCDS!

Heartfelt thanks to our donors and our partners at Ecotone Renewables for making this sustainability enhancement a reality at RCDS.