Alena LeBerger, Noah Chavez, Madeline Da Vany, and Joshua Mayer had to complete a project in their English class that would support and involve the community around Fossil Ridge High School in some way.

In Mr. Hanauer’s eleventh grade English class, this group of students is seeking a change in our school waste by teaching the kids at Fossil  healthy habits and the importance of recycling. The team are posting flyers around the school with tips and reasons why recycling is vital and important in keeping the Earth clean.

Chavez, a member of the group, when asked, “Where is the biggest amount of waste produced in the school?” explained, “We generate two million tons of food waste each year in our schools. If we composted that food, it would reduce the same amount of greenhouse gasses emitted in the atmosphere as taking 2 million cars off the road.  Also, you should try to bring your lunch to school in a reusable container instead of plastic bags or other plastic items.”

Then Da Vany was asked, “What are ways students can help this recycling movement in the classroom.” She said, “Students can buy green school supplies, purchase used supplies, and reduce how much you use paper.”

At the end of the project, the group of students attended an exhibition night where Chavez, Da Vany, Mayer, and LeBerger talked to people about how they can contribute and help the community with recycling. They also spread information about the negative effects and the projected damage that will occur on the Earth if a behavior change does not happen.

This night was attended by a lot of parents and students supporting all of the students in a number of classes. After the event,  Da Vany was asked, “What was your favorite part of the night? And what would you need to improve if you were to do it again?”

She said, “ It was fun being able to listen to the other classmates projects and hearing them speak about all the different ways they were able to give back to the community. If I had to do this project again, I would of focused more on the poster and spreading the message to more people, not just parents and students at our school. Along with better communication and for the group to put in more time with creating the poster and presenting. I felt like we didn’t use all the time we had very well.”