Climate change is a hot topic right now, and Mother Earth is giving us signs: our planet is increasing in temperature, sea levels are rising, the ozone layer is weakening, the ice caps are melting, and natural disasters are becoming commonplace, just to name a few. Environmental conversation can take place anywhere, especially in the school setting. If everyone made a small effort to be more environmentally conscious each day, like choosing to bring a reusable water bottle instead of buying one from the cafeteria, or recycling their plastic, it would lead to big change. And it starts here, at Indian Hills.
Hills students and faculty have some intriguing suggestions on how we can each be more environmentally conscious to create big change as a community:
“Use refillable water bottles! Many students have made the switch, but we still use a lot of plastic bottles. They can also be more mindful of generative AI use. It can be a really helpful tool, but it also uses more energy than a Google search for simple questions or tasks.”
– Ms. Murphy, a science teacher in the UPSMR.
“They can reduce their paper usage by printing double-sided, using the library to get books, using reusable water bottles, and recycling.” – Marianna Adragna, a junior at Hills.
“They can learn to recycle properly and turn bad markers in separately to the environmental club! They could also be eco-friendly by walking or biking to school if possible instead of driving. Printing papers double-sided and using reusable water bottles is always a good idea too.” – Seulgi Park, a junior at Hills.
“I think that students should actually recycle their bottles, however, I have heard that the bottles aren’t actually recycled anyways. So, if this is true, both the students and the maintenance have to commit to recycling.” – Hannah Savino, a senior at Hills.
“We need to cut the amount of waste we accumulate. So many people throw away half eaten lunches and we should really try to make less waste.” – Abigail Collins, a junior at Hills.
Between the environmental club, recycling bins being available in all spaces, and our refillable water bottle stations, the Hills community is making an effort to be environmentally conscious, but there is always room for improvement. The students and faculty at Hills all play a part in our school’s environmental impact, and they have the power to ensure our Hill’s community is helping the environment, not harming it.