WRITTEN BY: 8th Grade Student Katy
The question that many people have asked my generation is “What would you do to help the environment if you were in charge?” Valid question, I suppose. After all, we are the next generation, we should be thinking about this already, right?
If I was in charge, if I was president, there are definitely some things I would change. Little and big things, things that people at home can do and things that companies can do; I would try to do them all. After all, everyone needs to pitch in or else the whole thing is for nothing. Making recycling available for everyone is a good step; perhaps enforce separating of recyclable items from garbage. There would also be the forcing of every company to go green and make all of their products as green as they can. There are many, many other things I could probably do, but these are just first steps. If you try to start huge, taking on the whole world, it will fail. But if you start at home, where the heart is, you have a greater chance of succeeding.
Starting at home, enforcing recycling would be a good thing. Not only will it become a regular practice for children, but adults will also fall into the habit. This may seem useless, but by reusing what we can, we are actually doing the city, the state, perhaps even the country, a favor. Reusing things reduces the waste. If everyone does the small job of separating the recyclables from the garbage, it adds up to a huge effort, becoming a major impact on the environment.
Forcing all the companies to go green is a bit more controversial, although I believe it is still a good idea. If all companies do manage to go green over time, it will easily pay for itself, for it would rely on natural resources for energy and be energy-efficient. By relying more on sunlight, wind and water to provide energy, we will conserve our non-reusable resources, like fossil fuels. After that has happened, the next suitable step would be to try to make the products as environmentally friendly as possible. Making paper out of reused paper when possible instead of trees would help animals, because their habitat would deplete quite slowly, if at all. Those that cut trees should replant more trees than they cut down. Houses would steadily become greener, too.
I figure that once those two things are done, other things that need to be adjusted to help the environment will become clear. After all, can you expect everything to be fixed with a snap of your fingers? Such things take time, effort, and constant vigilance. These are my plans, what I would do, to help the environment if I am ever in charge. Even if I don’t get a position of power, I will still do what I can to help the environment. It’s just something that should be done, for if we don’t help the environment, we can hardly expect to help ourselves.
What do you do at home to help the environment, that you wish all homes did? Share your ideas below.
Recyclebank Green Schools Program awards grants to schools in order to fund environmental projects that empower youth to green their own communities. For every 100 points donated to an accepted school, Recyclebank donates $10 to that school.With their Recyclebank Green Schools grant, Kennedy Community School will promote prairie planting and conservation for all students as well as the broader St. Joseph community. A nature trail (approximately ¼ mile in length) will be constructed with posted signs identifying the various grasses, flowers, birds, and insects that can be found in the prairie. All students in grades K-8 will participate in the development and maintenance of the native habitat on the site and learn extensively about native prairies. This initiative will help the school provide experiential learning and meet its goal of making the school an environmental teaching tool for the entire community.
Learn more about the Green Schools Program!
