Throughout the years, recycling has always been promoted yet most people don’t tend to do it. For some people, it may be hard to understand as to why they should recycle, but with help from the community, unawareness on the topic is fading. 

Jacqueline Bendfeldt, Catherine Fabian, and Mrs. Kosmicki are all part of the GCHS Environmental club. The club helps promote good, useful environmental habits, and ways to help. When speaking to the president of the club, Jacqueline explained that even from a young age she was told to reuse, reduce, and recycle to help protect the environment. “I think now and just all of the environmental efforts that have gone into everything, recycling is one of the easiest things we can do to keep all of these environmental problems down”, explained Jacqueline. 

As the years begin to change, more and more people have become socially and environmentally aware of all of the things going on at the moment in the world. There have been shifts in people’s demeanors as they realize that the environment is much more important than it seemed to be, as people realize this, Catherine Fabian is more ahead of her time when it comes to it. In her own words, Catherine believes that “it is so confusing because even small things impact the Earth and I feel like it really is up to our generation to create change because the Earth is such a fragile thing.” 

With the earth being so fragile, one must wonder what is being done to actually help it, these words from the younger generation are important, showing that there is hope for the individuals to come.

 When speaking about the younger generation, people must consider the older ones as well. One of the two club sponsors, Mrs. Kosmicki, has shared multiple things that she hopes will follow in the recycling program at Grant. Mrs. Kosmicki began to explain her journey with recycling, letting people know that this hasn’t always been because she was passionate. “I feel like as I’ve gotten older, it’s like a sense of responsibility. I’m very much in tune with nature.I feel like that passion has kind of then also led to this. I have this responsibility, I really need to do my part. So I think that’s kind of how that’s transitioned from, like, simple recycling for my childhood, again, is something you can do to like. I think there are more things out there and then you start connecting to those resources”, explained Mrs. Kosmicki. 

The recycling program at Grant hasn’t always been talked about, but with strong words from the Environmental club, it has been brought up a lot more in the past years. People in the club have expressed that they wish that the community cared more about recycling, more about the earth that they all live on. Even when speaking to all of these people in the club, there is still a bit of confusion as to why recycling is as important as it should be. Fortunately, Jacqueline –the president of the club– thinks that it “helps us keep a cleaner environment. Just because when you recycle, there are fewer trash cans. There’s less garbage like all around you know.” 

Recycling has always been something that is important to many people and to the earth itself. These simple acts of recycling water bottles, paper, and other objects make the world a better place. With the help of the community and these specific people, there is so much more that can be done to help the process.

 In the words of one of the club sponsors–Mrs. Kosmicki–she lets the community know this world needs this generation’s help. “You know, more than ever, we’re generating so much waste and we only have one planet. Yeah, you know, there’s only so much work and places where it can go at the end of its life. So it’s really important, especially in our generation, that we really start taking this stuff seriously.”

 Be the change you want to see and always strive to help others understand.