Last year, The Benjamin School was named a green school of excellence. As a green school of excellence, Benjamin faculty and students do their best to be green and reduce, reuse, and recycle. From moving the newspaper online to implementing paperless classrooms (thanks, Google Drive!), it seems the Benjamin School has gotten as green as it can get. However, The Benjamin School is taking yet another green step forward by encouraging students to recycle correctly. Large posters, designed by Educational Technology Department Chair Mr. Nicholas Crisafi, will be hung in every classroom and at every lunch area. These posters will have four different sections, one for each type of refuse. At the three lunch areas, a trash can, a compost bin, a yellow bin, and a blue bin will be placed beneath the posters so students understand what goes where and can dispose of their lunch materials properly.

Many changes are on the way as the new quarter rapidly approaches. Starting at the beginning of the second quarter, specifically November 10,  these posters will be all over campus.  The Sustainability Committee is currently asking teachers where they would like the posters placed in their classroom, with only a few regulations. The posters will need to be near the bins and both the posters and bins will need to be near the teacher, so that the teacher can monitor student’s recycling. “I think the posters are going to be a huge help,” exclaimed sixth-grade science teacher Mandy Sukhu.  “I believe the majority of students and faculty want to recycle correctly, but sometimes get confused by the bins. So, the posters provide an easy solution and I am excited about them.” As well as the new posters, a new recycling disposal system is in place. No longer will housekeeping be in charge of recycling. At the beginning of RAAP, student volunteers will collect the recyclables from the blue and yellow bins and keep them at a central location. Up until now, some students have been using the blue recycle bins as garbage cans. To resolve this issue, there will be no more blue recycling bins in the quad.

Unfortunately for some students, improper recycling will earn them a green-slip. Hopefully, this new negative consequence will motivate students to dispose of their materials correctly. But, as Mrs. Sukhu reminds us, “Students’ not recycling properly is not an option. First, when you recycle, you are saving that item from going in the trash – picture a giant mountain of trash. Second, you are allowing that item to become a new item and therefore, we don’t have to unnecessarily take more natural resources from the Earth to make new items.”

As we all know, having character and doing the right thing are very important here at The Benjamin School. Respect. Courage. Morality. Kindness. Fairness. Integrity. Compassion. Acceptance. The eight Benjamin School Traits. If we work so hard to follow those rules, why can’t we try harder to recycle?  “When we talk about character and ‘doing the right thing even when no one is watching,’ this should include thinking about the Earth and the future,” added Sukhu.

So recycle – it’s not difficult! With the new posters on the way, and new ideas coming, anything is possible. The posters are right there, and the bins are only a couple of steps away. Stay tuned for the latest news on the recycling crusade coming your way!