Encouraging the Next Generation
Posted by Paige
One of my favorite parts of owning the Blue Ridge Eco Shop is being able to go into schools and talk to students. This week I was afforded the opportunity to talk to two ends of the age spectrum. I taught classes at both the Montecello High School and Crozet Elementary School. I believe if we start teaching kids now, they will grow up with knowing what actions are sustainable and won’t have to change bad habits.
This week I was teaching composting to both schools. It always amazes me when I teach at elementary schools or preschools that the youngest ones have heard of composting and most are already composting at home. But speaking with juniors and seniors on Tuesday, I was shocked once again. Only one student, of all the students I taught that day, had even heard of composting and the majority didn’t understand why we would want to divert waste from a landfill. What happened to the field trips to the dump and local landfills to show kids where our trash is taken and show that it really doesn’t disappear?
There must be a generational education gap between the 17 and 18-year-old and the elementary age. It is exciting to see these elementary school age kids grow up with the composting concept as a part of their everyday life. I remember in 6th grade my municipality started curbside recycling. This was still ahead of most places. Along with the recycling, the city started charging through trash stickers, per bag of trash. My 6th grade social studies teacher, Mrs. Heigle, started a contest with all of the 6th graders at Jones Middle School. Each of our families were tasked with trying to have the least amount of trash each week. And on trash days we would all report how many, or more frequently, that we had no bags of trash. I learned the impact of our waste on the environment and from that age started looking at my personal waste habits.
Growing up with recycling was a way of life for me. And these kids are growing up with composting as second nature. What else can we teach this next generation?
