There has always been a constant awareness of our planet’s health. Out of all recyclable materials plastic is the fourth most produced in the world, with steel coming in first. However plastic is the one most commonly talked about when it comes to the topic of recycling with it being the topic of most posters and media.
Most of its popularity comes from the great pacific garbage patch. The great pacific garbage patch is a giant floating island of trash just off the coast of California. It is commonly said to be roughly the size of Alaska or two times the size of Texas. This giant patch of garbage is primarily made out of plastic which is why it is so popular for advertisements about recycling.
There are so many things these days that’s made out of plastic for many reasons, most commonly it’s cheap and easy to mass produce to sell to the public. That’s why after a typical trip to the grocery store empty plastic bags can sometimes be found getting tossed around from the wind. However it can typically be carried by the wind to lakes, rivers, ponds, and the ocean. These bags and other lightweight plastics are carried to these waterways to sit there until they get eaten, tangled up in, or choked on by wildlife. This has a massive effect on the ecosystem of our planet. “I believe it is so important to preserve our environment, and recycling is a great way to do so! There are so many things we can do to help, restore, and protect our planet” said freshman Evie Poggendorf.
Trying to help the planet, many different climate activists are hard at work trying to help restore the wild back to its full glory. However, two freshmen decided to tackle a smaller environmental issue at school. Freshman Ruthie Hornik and Keller Beyers, aware of the trouble plastic can cause, decided to tackle this problem by trying to find a more sustainable option for lunch trays for the schools.
This project was started by Ruthie just as thought one day during a science club meeting when she told Keller about this idea he was immediately on board with the idea. When asked about why she was interested in this project freshman Ruthie Hornik said “Styrofoam is a horrible pollutant that poisons everything. It’s the responsibility of everyone to do their best to help clean our environment and ourselves.”
Ruthie and Keller have been working together to find a cost effective transition from styrofoam trays to an eco friendly option. While a definite solution has not been reached yet, the duo have been hard at work trying to solve this issue. While the issue has not been resolved yet, there is still a greener future in sight.
After the idea of the lunch trays, Ruthie and Keller continued talking about more possible ways to help improve the school environment and a little bit of the Earth’s environment as well. One of the ideas was to start an environmental club. The idea has reached a lot of positivity from fellow students who signed a paper of interest during power hour.
The person in charge of that list is freshman Keller Byers, the second brain behind the club. “Our goal in starting the eco-club is to make our school more eco-friendly, not just to the environment, but to the students as well.”
The number of names reached to the back of the paper before power hour even ended. One of the students on that list freshman Charlotte (Charlie) Ogan talked about the importance that the club will have on the students if the club was formed, “Recycling is just one of the many steps we can take to better our world. It is one of “The Three R’s”: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. However there is so much more we could do to better our Planet, small ways that we can make a change. This club would help raise awareness to those things.”
With the rising support of the eco-club, there might be a new addition to the club fair next year after all.
