I learned a lot during LCSC Earth Week. For instance, the majority of this campus is in favor of sustainability. One Earth Week project involved petitioning for a $2-3 student fee to be put toward campus sustainability programs. Many students expressed frustration with LCSC’s recycling program or lack thereof. One student pulled out his wallet and was ready to donate his $3 right there. It’s clearly an issue that LC students care about.
However, what were even more impressive were the kids. Kids are smarter than we give them credit for! During my service at LCSC I once had a man, whom I did not know, dressed in a suit, looking important, tell me that there was no way I was going to get kids to recycle. Based on my observations at the Lewiston Recycler’s Earth Day Celebration, that man was very wrong! In fact I would say I have more confidence in kids recycling and doing it properly than adults.
As part of the LCSC Sustainability Action Team booth at the Lewiston Recyclers event, we set up a recycle bin toss game. We had a bin for cans and a bin for plastic bottles (we also had a bin for paper airplanes but decided, due to lack of space, this could be a bad idea). The object of the game was to toss the can or bottle into the correctly labeled bin. The prizes were reusable shopping bags and compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLS).
Not only did the kids love this game, they needed little instruction. They saw the sign and knew exactly what they were supposed to do. They saw the sign that said Cans Only! with a picture of a can on it and knew the can went in that bin. It’s not rocket science but it sure seems like it for some adults.
One kid was so confident about his knowledge of recycling and sustainability that when I asked him why he thought it was important to use a reusable shopping bag, he responded by reciting the CO2 cycle. He was maybe 10 years old. Another confidently stated that using plastic bags is bad because they end up in the oceans and suffocate jellyfish. His mother’s response was, “Really? I didn’t know that.” Yeah! Kids are smart!
And so are their teachers. It gives me hope that because teachers are educating kids about this important issue while they’re still young, these kids are developing the habits necessary to make our Earth a cleaner place. Unfortunately, we still have a generation that didn’t learn these good habits at a young age, so, for now; it’s going to have to be up to these kids to teach their parents.
