|
From PilotNews.net Features
Going Green
Going green can be defined as the fight to preserve our resources and reduce pollution in order to protect our environment for the future. "I think it is really important to save our earth for coming generations," said Maddi Avery (9). This fight to go green can be summarized by the phrase, ‘reduce, reuse and recycle,’ which exemplifies three important factors in our going green campaign. Awareness As some do their part to help our environment and go green, the awareness continues to rise in the media and throughout communities. A new $30 million campaign has been launched by Al Gore, producer of An Inconvenient Truth, in order to promote the awareness of global warming and going green. It pairs opposite sides of the political spectrum who share their ideas in the serious, but solvable, issue of global warming. Celebrities also are doing their part to help raise awareness of the growing need to go green. "On Oprah, she said if your appliances are plugged in it costs you 40 percent of your bill," said Hannah Leigh (11). Other celebrities helping out are Cameron Diaz, who campaigned with Al Gore to fight global warming, and Leonardo DiCaprio, who volunteers with Global Green U.S.A. Many stores have started ‘green programs’ by selling merchandise that will donate money to organizations working to improve our environment and clothes that are made of organic cotton. Going green is hitting covers of magazines and newspapers everywhere, including the Post Dispatch (Saturday Lifestyle section), and Time and Newsweek. Drastic measures are being taken to go green throughout the country. San Francisco has just outlawed all plastic bags in the city. Easy alternatives are becoming readily available in grocery stores, where a shopper can buy reusable cloth or burlap bags.
Easy Ways to Go Green: So what can LHS students do to play their part in going green? Here are 20 simple ways to go green in everyday life: • Use your dishwasherrather than cleaning by hand. Sinks hold 5 gallons of water and you have to wash then rinse (fill the sink twice). Dishwashers only use 8.7 gallons of water. 1.3 less.
• Wash your laundry in full loadsinstead of individual small loads. The average home could save 3,400 gallons of water a year.
• Avoid using hot water for laundry; it accounts for 90 percent of the washing machine energy.
• Use a microwave over an oven. It reduces cooking energy by 80 percent.
• Unplug home electronicssuch as phones, DVD players, cable boxes, computers, etc. By plugging them into a power strip and turning them off at night, you could save hundreds of dollars a year.
• Turn off the faucetwhen brushing your teeth. For an average family of four, it could save 14,600 gallons of water.
• Don’t drive fast. Every 10 miles you drive over 60 mph is like adding $3.50 per gallon of gas.
• Reuse gift bags and grocery bags.100 billion plastic bags end up in landfills every year. Bring your own bags to the store.
• Avoid using drive through’s. They waste gas and money and it puts more emissions into the air.
• Avoid driving if it isn’t necessary.Set up car pools or walking. If you need to go somewhere, wait until you need go several places and combine them in one trip and use cruise control, to save gas.
• Instead of leaving away messages on IM, shut your computer downto save energy.
• If you’re getting a new computer, get a laptop instead of desktopbecause it uses less energy.
• Switch your light bulbs to low-energy fluorescentbecause they last ten times as long as regular bulbs.
• Clean out the lint filterin the dryer regularly because a dirty filter uses 30 percent more energy to dry clothes.
• Recycle!Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to power a TV for three hours.
• Visit localharvest.comto find places that sell organic foods near you and arborday.com to find out where to volunteer by planting trees in your area.
• Use ground delivery for shippinginstead of overnight, because it is six times more energy efficient.
• Get a programmable thermostat. Set it to turn on just when people get home.
• Make a compost. They produce good soil and eliminate one’s waste.
• Recycle your PILOT. Give or take bins are located around the school to recycle them.
(Ideas and statistics found from St. Louis Post Dispatch Lifestyle section and Seventeen Magazine). Global Warming Global warming is a rising problem that continues to plague today’s society. A build-up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere forms a blanket which continues to warm our planet. This increase in carbon dioxide is caused by pollution and inefficient use of electricity and resources. As the awareness of this problem of global warming is raised, the solution of going green helps in completing full ‘beautification’ of the earth Environmental club and science When it comes to being environmentally friendly around LHS, Environmental Club is exactly it. Steve Tomey, biology and environmental science teacher, has been leading the club for nine years. In Environmental Club, field trips are taken to places such as Powder Valley and Shaw Nature Center to expose students to environmental issues around and the club does many service projects on and off campus which include a creek clean-up near Crestwood Elementary School, Angel’s Arms tutoring, and campus ‘beautification’. "Through trips and projects I want to encourage students to be more aware of the environment around them," said Tomey. Environmental Club stays active throughout the summer through trips out of state. Tomey alternates the trips every year from going to Costa Rica or to Smokey Park in the Smokey Mountains with 10-15 students usually attending. "We help clean up around school and plant flowers. I think it is important to learn about the environment to protect it for the future," said Ariane Rinehart (9). Tomey has several plans for next year, including getting a state grant to get 100 trees planted (vital after the mass cutting of trees around campus previously this year) and the hanging of several bird houses. The garden area by gym two may also be expanded. Environmental science is also a class offered at LHS which Tomey teaches. In it, students learn about our environment and how things work, and learn how to be more friendly in regards to mother earth. The class offers many fun activities and field trips. One field trip that 19 students attended this past Wed. was to the Milam landfill. There they learned about St. Louis waste and how it is harmful to the environment. Anybody can join environmental club, and they meet on Tuesdays from 2:30-4. Environmental science is offered to juniors and seniors. For more details on either, see Mr. Tomey in rm. 203. Recycling Committee Associated with National Honors Society is the Recycling Committee, which promotes recycling throughout the school. Leading this committee is Vidhi Srivastava (12).
They meet every two to three weeks and their duties include collecting aluminum cans and plastic bottles throughout campus, sorting the items and taking them to a recycling center. "I think each and every person can contribute so much to prevent landfills from filling up with plastics that can otherwise be recycled," said Srivastava. County Goes Green If you have noticed a large bin delivered outside your house, it is part of the efforts of St. Louis County to go green and promote recycling. Free 64-gallon recycling bins are being delivered to houses all over the county. Because more than 70 percent of the average residents’ trash can be recycled, the St. Louis County Health Department issued this project to attempt to reduce that percentage. Although home owners must provide their own recycling pickup, it will help result in a greener St. Louis. © Copyright Pilot Publications |