Environmental concerns are a priority

In response to the Bellevue East principal’s words in a recent article exploring a composting opportunity written by Madie Ybay, I would like to say that I expect better. The quote I am primarily focusing on is the quote “I think the planet benefits from it, but will East benefit from it? I don’t know if there’s a benefit directly to us other than it might be the socially responsible thing to do.”

In a world where the Amazon is burning at a record rate and the Great Barrier Reef is dying due to human interaction, I am stunned that I can go to highschool where I am unable to recycle.

I am not alone. According to Yale’s Climate Opinion Map 70% of Americans care more about the environment than economic growth. A recent Pew Research Center survey says that 74% of US adults believe that ”the country should do whatever it takes to protect the environment.”

So much food is wasted in our school system. Could you imagine how much compost that could be for farmers, the amount of waste we could save and repurpose into something that can help the earth instead of hurt it? Yet somehow we are contributing to the problem instead of helping the problem.

An opportunity to compost, or even just having the ability to recycle cannot be understated. According to Waste360 24% of school waste is recyclable, and another 50% can be composted.

Nearly 75% of our trash can be composted or recycled. Dr. Wagner told us he was building a foundation of greatness when he started here my freshman year. Needing a reason to do the right thing isn’t representative of the greatness he promised my class.

Having empathy for the environment and using monetary resources to help save the world that we and every graduate will have to live in is undisputedly the right thing to do.