This year, ASL took part in Earth Hour on March 23. The whole school spent one hour with lights switched off for Earth Hour from 12:15 to 1:15. The only exception were rooms with no windows, which when no lights were on provided a safety concern. In total, the approximate 300 kWh that ASL used from 12:15 to 1:15 on March 22 dropped down to about 200-225 kWh on March 23.
Earth day is an annual event which takes place on April 22 in hopes of raising awareness about environmental protection. This globally observed event seeks to solve these issues regarding our planet by encouraging our population to take action. Specifically, Earth Day 2018 is focusing on ending plastic pollution. People celebrate Earth Day by creating signs, cleaning towns and cities, planting trees and much more. It is a day to remember how fortunate we are to have this planet and to realize the care that we must bestow on it to allow it to thrive.
However, that is not the only way that ASL has participated in Earth awareness this year. The Eco-committee lunch club ran the recycling at the Global Festival on March 25 and handed out raffle tickets to those who participated in sustaining our world.
There is also a community clothes and sports equipment swap which was held to encourage our community to reuse and save the supply of materials. Hosted by the middle school eco-committee, This event took place the week school started back after April break and the tables were in the Lower School lobby.
Members of the ASL community also support the sustainment of the world. “It is important to raise awareness for environmental issues and to plan for further steps to improve the future,” seventh grade science teacher Ms. Allison Muthig said. “It is nice to have an annual reminder to take care of our planet even though we should always be thinking of how we can sustain our planet. Also, it is nice that the world has a day where everyone is working to solve our goals.”
Students seem to additionally see the importance of Earth awareness and in addressing issues regarding our environment. Seventh grader Maarya Adil said, “I believe that it’s crucial to raise awareness about such topics because everyone is contributing to the problem and people do things that are so small (going shopping every weekend, leaving the water running while you’re brushing your teeth, leaving lights on etc.) and they don’t think they have any impact on the world whatsoever but it’s the small acts like that that has brought us to this problem.
Experts feel that it is clear that our environment needs our help in this desperate time when the Earth is facing a crisis as to a shortage of materials and a detrimental change in climate. Though it may not seem like it, they say our small actions everyday such as turning off the lights, turning off the tap and using a reusable water bottle do have an impact on our environment. These actions are aiding our world and are the stepping stones to solving this issue. They are the small steps that are necessary to be made to improve our environment. Each and every one of us have the opportunity each and every day to save our world and to make a change in environmental issues to preserve our planet.
