The student news site of Edwardsville High School

Tiger Times

The student news site of Edwardsville High School

Tiger Times

The student news site of Edwardsville High School

Tiger Times

Small Steps Make a Difference

Like world peace, the green movement was once a good idea, but when a trendy idealist got hold of it, its intended message became unclear .

In fact, the green movement has become somewhat pointless. Finding fun ways to recycle and cool decomposable clothes to wear do not really help the environment. The basic message to promote recycling on a broader scale has been lost.

Though a majority of Americans have access to recycling, some cities, such as Springfield, Mo., don’t have a recycling program.

Members of the green movement need to find a productive way to promote recycling in areas like this and make sure that every city and town across the country has easy access to recycling facilities.

Carpooling is also an overlooked method for environmental improvement. For example, a majority of students in the senior and junior class drive to school, regardless of the fact that many of them live within walking distance of one another.

Consider how much energy could be saved if we drove in groups instead of individually. So much for electric and hybrid cars, right?

Along with student driving, there is a huge problem with the school parking lot and how it functions.

Most student drivers sit at a stand-still for upwards of 20 minutes after school waiting to leave. The amount of fuel burned from all 800 of those stagnant cars is ridiculous.

It is great that there are groups in the Edwardsville area, such as the environmental club at EHS, who support activism and environmental awareness, but more individuals, such as English teacher Cara Lane, need to promote recycling. Most people believe that they cannot single-handedly make a difference. But they can.

Ms. Lane knows this. If you ask any one of her students, they will tell you that the efforts that Ms. Lane has made have helped to make them much more environmentally aware and active.

She encourages her students to take the extra steps to recycle while in her class and while at home. She even teaches them the correct way to recycle, such as what not to put in the recycling bins at school.

Big ideas with small support aren’t going to fix our environment. But small steps quantified by mass support will help to make the earth a better, cleaner, and greener place to live.