apeseri1
Registered: December 2009
City/Town/Province: Oyster Bay
Posts: 2
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Despite the long-standing debate over taste, if I were a can of Pepsi, I wouldn’t mind coming back as a can of Coke. It is not because I do not drink soda; it is because I love to recycle.
My concern for the environment was sparked in tenth grade, when I was assigned a research paper on any topic I wished. Prior to writing the paper, I had been interested in the climate crisis. Unfortunately, I had limited knowledge of it. During and subsequent to completing the assignment, my interest was rekindled and fortified. I became much more intrigued by the effect humans have on the environment, as well as the inevitable natural disasters Mother Nature sporadically spews.
Just before that tenth-grade summer vacation, my best friend Fiona and I decided we wanted to raise awareness of the earth’s dwindling resources throughout Oyster Bay High School. Originally, we focused on what we would call our then two-person organization, what our logo would be, and from which company we would order customized shirts. Thinking it tied in with our ultimate goal of purchasing solar panels for our school, we decided on the title, “RAYS AWARENESS.” We also designed a logo of an earth, where the top half of the planet above the equator was a sun. These menial details took up much of our time. Realizing that these ideas were trivial matters, we began to concentrate more on our future goals. Yes, projects and businesses must be marketed and publicized well, but the body is more important than its accessories. Thankfully, we came to this realization with enough time to systematize our plans.
Fiona and I approached our high school's principal, in regards to creating an environmentally friendly club. He told us that it was not in our budget. We proceeded to visit the director of business of our school district, with whom we discussed the possibility of installing an expandable solar-paneling system. We researched several solar construction companies and received estimates on the cost of building a solar paneling system. These estimates, however, were also not in the school's budget. This did not stop us. To make a positive impact on the environment and to involve and educate the student body on the effect of human activity on the environment, we created a recycling program. At first, Fiona and I alone scavenged from bins in the cafeteria, staff lunchroom, copy rooms, and a few select classrooms. We have now expanded to include members of various Science-oriented groups throughout our high school. This program has not cost the school any money, is entirely student-run, and will continue after Fiona and I graduate. We have designated two other students to assume the responsibility of RAYS AWARENESS and have established a substantial volunteer base. In addition to the recycling program, my friend and I have also created a pamphlet that has been approved by our principal and will be sent home to every parent with a child in Oyster Bay High School. The pamphlet consists of tips for proper recycling, as well as ways to conserve water and electricity.
After we established a solid foundation for our project, we began to make occasional morning announcements, reminding our volunteer-recyclers of their duties for the week. We also communicate with our volunteers through a facebook group, a facebook message board, and at Science National Honor Society and National Honor Society meetings. The seventh and eighth grade students who are enrolled in accelerated science courses as well as the environmental classes are now active participants as well. We are currently planning for a representative from the company the school uses, ROYAL Recycling, to speak with our students about the recycling process. Who knows- maybe some day we’ll even get t-shirts!
While infinitesimal within the scope of world’s waste, I believe the recycling program is still significant. Student involvement, as well as the amount of classrooms with bins continues to increase. Through the program, the need to recycle has been widely publicized throughout Oyster Bay High school. Prior to the RAYS Awareness, my school had no recycling program, but I learned that the elementary and middle schools do and that recycling was only not implemented in the high school because it was thought that the students would not be as interested in it. This makes the high school an even better place to start recycling because the students need to know about it’s benefits.
Fiona and I have gotten our high school involved with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, (LEEDS) system. We have helped the high school work to meet LEEDS standards by having the lights removed from the vending machines, promoting the use of environmentally friendly practices at home, and initiating the aforementioned recycling program.
Last year, if somebody asked me what my intended major was, I would have told him Political Science and maybe a double with theatre. I used to think I had to study political science in order to become a lawyer, but that is entirely not true. In fact, students can study many different subjects with the intention attending law school. I have decided, thanks in part to my project, that I will focus on Environmental Studies.
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