An Environmentally Friendly Lifestyle at Northern is Possible

Matilda Buehler, J1 Staff Writer

As you all know an environmentally friendly lifestyle is very important. But many people think that it is not worth to change their habits because they alone cannot accomplish any improvement. Right now the Americans are consuming so much that four earths would be necessary to sustain them. But there are many ways to save energy, reduce trash and establish an environmentally friendlier lifestyle, also in school.

Just one of many things that we can change in school is to power off the computers after use and not just switch off the screen. A lot of the energy that is used in high schools is for computers so that would have a remarkable impact. Another way to save energy seems almost too simple not to do it. Just switch off the lights when there is no use for them or use energy-saving lightbulbs.  I often sit in classrooms and ,additional to the sunlight, the lights are on too, although they are not necessary. That would not only save a lot of energy since, as the Alliance To Save Energy published, nearly 50% of the energy we use is for light  but also save money for other purposes. But, even if it surprises most, the food we eat also has an impact on the environment. For example is the production of meat worse than the production of any vegetable or fruit. Some campaigns, such as “Meatless Monday,” advocate that just one day in the week, the school only offers meatless meals, which would also be healthier.  And for the people who bring their own lunch:  Just use a reusable lunchbox instead of paper or plastic bags.  Did you know that the average school tosses 38 tons, which equals 644 trees? Just by doing  assignments and worksheets online, as many teachers already do, we can save a lot of paper save paper. That again would not only profit our environment but also saves money for copies and paper.

I think these are reasonable changes that would not only help our environment but also save money and bring a good atmosphere. They also do not change our life at school much. “I love the idea of the cafeteria, what they are serving and where it is from and it would be awesome if the Gardening Club could grow enough food to be used in our cafeteria. At all I think that schools can do a lot more to be environmentally friendly”, says Mrs. Derenne, an environmentally conscious teacher at Northern. SO as you can see with just a few changes we can change a lot and do a better job to protect our environment.