A Green-er Outlook on Life
Kelsey Tanouye, Staff Writer
November 9, 2009
Filed under News, Top Stories
The Lower School student body has encouraged the process of recycling and environmental awareness amongst its growing minds. Certain committees have been launched including the likes of the Green Committee that sprang from student, faculty, and parent encouragement. Originally a two-member committee, it has grown since. The committee serves to facilitate projects like the ink cartridge drives which are held and the colored bin recycling program that has different bins stationed around the lower and middle school buildings. However, its latest project has made an even bigger impact with its presence now located next to the new high school building.
A project that has been two years in the making has finally culminated to the installation of the new recycling bin with fantastic starting off results. The initial process began with the lower school student council helping with the different recycling efforts around the school and from there they wanted to install the bin last year, but there just wasn’t enough space due to the construction that was going on. This year, though, that dream was made a reality thanks to Lower School Vice Principal Lori Shigehara who was a major organizer for the project. The new bin is located towards the right end of the high school building next to the upper playground. The bin is able to amass paper products including cardboard and assorted paper.
When asked about her motivation and goals for the project she answered, “It was mainly about recycling and bringing awareness to the children, but it all ties back to the Le Jardin mission statement. I was all about helping this to become a student-driven project that the students themselves could run.”
This has been a big success so far, but the hard work doesn’t even stop there. Plans for a second bin to arrive three weeks from now are in the works and this upcoming arrival will help the program even more. A multi-material recycling bin capable of accepting a broader range of products, the new bin will accept aluminum, glass, plastic 1 and 2, newspaper, corrugated cardboard, and white and colored office paper products. Throughout the planning of the first phase the maintenance crew has helped to strategize as to where the containers will be situated, and so this new container will be located near the portables. All of this is part of a program by the Department of Environmental Services to help with school recycling endeavors.
With all of the hype that the bin has received from the Lower School, there is still confusion about the purpose of the project where the bin is actually located: the high school. “I’m confused about the whole idea of it. No information was sent out about it to the teachers so I don’t know if the idea is to be a money-maker so it can raise funds, or if it’s just trying to help us be more responsible,” teacher Mike Morrison explains; and this is a fair point to be reckoned with. Many of the high schoolers haven’t used the bin to its full potential due to a lack of information that has been given about it. Not even the HS Environmental Committee was given full details. The Head of the Environmental Committee, Chapin Sussman, clarified that what would help the cause would be to “have the purpose become better known amongst the students.” She, along with Ms. Johnson, the club’s academic advisor, explained that it would be great if funds were raised to place small recycling bins in each high school classroom. These could be filled and then dumped into the larger bin at determined intervals and perhaps even become a completely student-run operation.
This project is just the beginning for future recycling and “green” school actions. Ms. Shigehara cites one goal in particular after the recycling project. “Our next effort would have to be composting. This would involve bringing classroom efforts and lunchroom waste to larger-scale operations so that the whole school can get in on it.” This long-term goal is one that, while a great step forward, would need to begin with a detailed planning process first.
High-schoolers might be thinking though “How does this green project even affect me?” Well, it certainly does when you take into account every piece of paper you use for notes or assignments that get thrown away instead of recycled. Such a waste! Every little bit counts and so it will help when not just the teachers, but all students join in on this new chapter of Le Jardin’s new green outlook on life.
P.S. No digital trees were harmed in the making of this news article.