Environmental Connections Contest
2008 Winning Essay
Horizon High School – Ecology Club
by Sarah Geren
In a world of increasing knowledge and innovation, it is more important than ever to preserve Earth’s resources. Upon hearing about the Phoenix Zoo’s Barrel Project, the newly founded Horizon High School Ecology Club jumped at the chance to be so directly involved in our community. In our first year as a club, we decided that improving Horizon’s recycling system would be our first course of action, and The Barrel Project seemed like a great way to get people interested. It is not only a chance to improve our environment, but it will also be an excellent way to promote our club and efforts to make a difference. By participating in fun activities such as The Barrel Project, more students may become interested in the Ecology Club and decide to become members. This would allow us to continue participating in projects like this, as well as others, even after the original founders have graduated.
The theme of the barrel was to display human impact on the environment and the Horizon Ecology Club decided to encourage people to reduce their carbon footprint, or the average amount of carbon they put into the atmosphere. The carbon footprint of mankind is represented by the actual footprints painted around the barrel. The decrease in size of these prints symbolizes the need to decrease the size of humanity’s carbon footprint so we do not become a “carbon Bigfoot.” The quote, “The Earth is what we all have in common,” as stated by author and poet Wendell Berry, sends several messages. One thing implied by the quote is that by irresponsibly using Earth’s resources, we are destroying the one thing that unites us all. The fact that all humans inhabit the same planet is the only piece of information that all of humankind can agree on. The quote, along with the animal prints around the barrel, urges people to realize that we need to clean the Earth not only for the good of humans, but for the lives of other inhabitants as well. To put the theme of our barrel into effect, we told all the members of the Ecology Club to calculate the size of their carbon footprint and then to do what they could do to make it smaller. We believe that if everyone attempted to lessen the size of their carbon footprint, we could greatly reduce the harmful consequences that come along with it.
A great deal of teamwork and communication went into planning our barrel design and painting the barrel. First, we had to identify a teacher that we could constantly work with in allowing us to store our barrel and supplies in his room. Second, we had to find just the right paint and supplies to complete the barrel and stay within our club budget. Once we had completed that task, a group of people in the club met to plan out the design and finally design the barrel. Due to several conflicting schedules, the painting of the barrel took place in less than a few weeks. If the group had not been willing to compromise and work together, then the task would never have been accomplished in time. Furthermore, there was not one single day where all the leaders of the Ecology Club could be present for the painting. This meant that we had to be in contact with each other at all times and communicate at other hours during the day to discuss the progress of the barrel and other necessary planning. Without the dedication of the entire club and the ability to communicate, we, the Horizon Ecology Club, would have failed our goals to participate in The Barrel Project. Thankfully, we did not let that happen. We worked hard together as a team and got the job done with pride.
There are so many ways that this project could inspire people to do what they can do to improve the world that we live in. We hope that by participating in a project that encourages recycling and making environmentally friendly differences in our community, more students will be excited to “go green” and become more interested in Ecology Club and our efforts. If we were to receive recognition for what we do, our club would gain more notability at the school and a broader impact on the students and staff. With a larger group, we would also be able to participate in more activities and, therefore, help the community to a further extent. We also would be grateful if those who viewed our barrel attempted to reduce their carbon footprint and work to make Earth a better place for all living beings, humans and animals alike. Even if our barrel does not win the contest, our club would feel great accomplishment to have just taken part in this wonderful project that could put such a positive impact on our planet.
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