Published in the December 23, 2015 – January 5, 2016 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Katie McGinty-Ruiz’s fourth-grade class at San Martin-Gwinn Environmental Science Academy
Eduardo Rodriguez, Ethan Lehrbaum, Jacinda Antonio, Mackenzy Ramirez and Beatrice Miller started the San Martin/Gwinn Environmental Science Academy recycling club.
Imagine if the world looked like a giant garbage dump with mountains of trash over schools, streets and animal habitats. This scary situation is becoming a reality and is why people need to start recycling now!
Our class started getting involved at our school last year when we were in third grade. Two of our classmates, Mackenzy Ramirez and Jacinda Antonio, noticed trash on the playground and we asked our principal, Claudia Olaciregui, if we could get more recycling bins so our campus wasn’t so unsightly.
This school year Mackenzy and Jacinda began a recycling club. The other members are: Oscar Guzman, Eduardo Rodriguez, Beatrice Miller and Ethan Lehrbaum. They discussed the fact that the school still needed more recycling bins and Ms. Olaciregui immediately requested them from the waste department and the recycling bins finally arrived. That day the recycling club distributed them around the school.
You may still be wondering, “Why should I even recycle?” Our class has researched some reasons why recycling is important. First, recycling is an easy way to make new products. Recycling is good because it lets people re-use things we use every day. Even electronics and batteries can be recycled if you find a safe place to do so. It doesn’t take much work or time to recycle. All you have to do is put recyclable materials in the correct bins.
Also, recycling is a less wasteful way to make new things. Take paper, for example. If you recycle, less trees will be cut down to make new paper. Currently, 100 acres, or about 2,000 trees are cut down in the rain forest every minute.
In addition, recycling helps maintain natural habitats. Right now, animals are being harmed by our wastefulness. About 160 million tons of trash will be thrown away this year.
Recycling should happen now to protect the earth and its creatures. Will you join our class and begin recycling in our community?
After a Junior Journalism workshop by Morgan Hill Life Publisher Marty Cheek, San Martin-Gwinn fourth graders wrote this column.
