SamFran
Registered: December 2009
City/Town/Province: Roslindale
Posts: 1
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Eighteen Tons of Leadership:
Saving the planet is the hardest thing I have ever done; it took a lot of sweat and broke a bone.
It all started on one beautiful, sunny afternoon around the end of my freshman year, when I stood in my
school's cafeteria and noticed a blue barrel. Unsure of its purpose, I approached this barrel discovering
that it was overflowing with snow-white Styrofoam which smelled like the school's pizza. Full of
curiosity, I questioned a nearby teacher who informed me that, it was indeed for recycling our lunch
trays. This word, recycling, was familiar to me. I thought back to kindergarten when I used to save
sheets of paper to scribble on the backs of them later. I stood there and felt guilty, like a child who
broke his mother's favorite vase; I wondered when I had stopped recycling, and more importantly why I
had stopped recycling. I knew I had a lot of work to do (more work than any AP class could offer): I
had to once again become a positive impact on the environment. I asked the teacher, how I could get
involved with The Boston Latin Academy (BLA) Recycling Club. To my luck, this teacher, Mrs.
Chorhummel, was the club's adviser.
There was a meeting that afternoon; I equipped myself with gloves, a cardboard box, and a cart:
I had officially joined the “Green Team.” As a member of the Green Team, I dug through trash cans to
liberate mistreated sheets of paper and properly recycle them. I not only earned twenty hours of
community service, but I also managed to recruit a number of students. After recruiting,I realized that I
had to delegate, like a great captain leads his team. Mrs. Chorhummel was so impressed that she
appointed me the club's president.
During my sophomore year, my passion for recycling grew like Jack's magical beanstalk. I
wanted to do more; I joined a different club at my school: The Environmental Club. I learned the
importance of recycling and raising awareness. We did fund raisers, like selling environmentally
friendly light bulbs; we even networked with students from other schools to form the student organized
Youth Climate Action Network (Youth CAN).
That year, I attended the Youth CAN summit and participated in “Think Outside the Bottle”
workshop. I pledged to no longer drink bottled water because I learned all about how bottled water is a
menace to our precious environment. I knew that I had to stop people from improperly discarding these
bottles. I had two options: convince everyone to stop drinking bottled water; or setup bottle recycling at
my school. To be completely honest, I tried the first option and people believed that I was crazier than
Frankenstein. After the first option failed, I worked towards starting bottle recycling at my school. I
thought about the blue bin from so long ago; I came up with a plan.
I collaborated with the Environmental Club’s president and other Youth CAN representatives. I
convinced them to give me funds to purchase bottle collection containers; however, the funds were
insufficient so I turned to grant-writing. After researching on the Internet and speaking with school
staff, I applied for and received a $1000 grant from the National Wildlife Foundation. I used the newly
obtained funds to purchase my army of blue soldiers. I spent the money on over twenty can and bottle
recycling receptacles. The day the bins arrived, I strategically stationed each one in the corners of our
hallways and cafeterias. The Environmental Club’s president and Youth CAN’s president were so
impressed, that they, too, appointed me as president.
My junior year was very successful; it felt as if it were the Olympics and I were Usain Bolt of
Jamaica. I led my school and my army in recycling over eighteen tons of paper, a basement full of
bottles and an incredible amount of Styrofoam. I recycled so vigorously that I broke my ankle when I
fell while cleaning out one of my mistreated receptacles. To me, this ankle injury and this atrophied calf
muscle are gold medals for a job well done. I learned that “curiosity did not kill the cat;” but, curiosity
followed by awareness, passion and commitment can change a life, a school, and maybe even the
world.
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