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Pete Schroth now serves as the director of facilities and sustainability for Greensboro Montessori School. He started the position on Oct. 1 and became a full time employee in November.

Background: Schroth is the owner of The Green Bean coffee shop in downtown Greensboro and formerly owned The Flying Anvil music venue. His elementary school-aged children formerly attended the Montessori school.

Responsibilities: School officials hired Schroth to oversee changes to the school buildings that will enable them to use less water, conserve energy and use environmentally-friendly products. He is currently researching worm farms for composting, reinstalling rainwater cisterns on the campus, installing low-flow bathroom faucets and switching to non-toxic cleaners.

"I don't think the school would ever go completely off the grid because that is a serious leap for an institution of this size," he said.

But Schroth is intrigued by the idea of a biodiesel run school activity bus to transport students on field trips. The school educates more than 350 students from infancy through middle school.

He said: "The trick is (going green) in a way that the kids see it. I think with the rest of the population this is an idea that we're still getting to them, but when these kids grow up maybe this will just be something they do."

"On the job" is an occasional series introducing the people working in
the private, public and educational sectors to make the Triad more
sustainable.