Diana Prudius

April 30, 2021

It’s no surprise that people are beginning to care more and more about our environment. There are millions of organizations dedicated to making our world green. Whether or not you believe in climate change, everyone can agree that being environmentally friendly is important. The cleaner our environment is, the cleaner our air is. Every person should do their part to help our planet stay clean, even if it’s simply picking up a piece of trash. Does Glasgow do its part? Is Glasgow green enough?

In 2017, an FCPS school actually won a green ribbon award. This is when a school in Virginia is recognized for the way they, FCPS Get Green stated, “Reduce environmental impact and costs; improve the health and wellness of schools, students, and staff; and provide effective environmental and sustainability education.” Although our area may be striving to be greener, Glasgow has yet to contribute to any of these programs. Glasgow hasn’t done anything that has visibly hurt our environment, but they haven’t done anything big to help it either.

Glasgow does recycle, which is great for the environment, but could we do even more? The students and staff at Glasgow were asked the question, “Is Glasgow green enough?” 57.3% said they didn’t know. That is over half of the people asked. People are clearly uninformed. If people knew what Glasgow was doing to make our world cleaner, they would be inspired to make our world cleaner too.

The students and staff were also asked if Glasgow should be greener. The results were an overwhelming yes. 93.3% of the students at Glasgow believe we should be greener. Not only did these students think we should be greener, but they also gave suggestions on what Glasgow can do to become greener. 

An 8th grader at Glasgow named Trevion Adams suggested that Glasgow should, Get a composter. This is an excellent idea because it’s an easy way for Glasgow to reduce their amount of waste, while still helping the environment. Another 8th grader at Glasgow, Sarah Smith Cedillos suggested that we should try to use less paper. This is easier said than done. These times prove it’s possible to use less paper when using technology. Glasgow could try adapting that into some of their lessons.

Rania Seid, a 7th grader, said, “I think a great idea would be if every year on Earth day, Glasgow would do an event where anyone can sign up and everyone goes around the neighborhood and picks up trash. Of course, we would need supplies to do this so Glasgow could ask for trash bags, gloves, and trash picker donations. Then if there is not enough, there could be a fundraiser online or the school could use its own money. Any family member can come, and all the people participating will travel in the same area but in different spots. If Glasgow starts now then other schools will use this great influence and start doing it in their schools too.” This encourages students to go outside, as well as teaches students to work together as a team. While doing all this, it also helps the environment. 

6th grader Graham Martin had a different idea. He said we could, “Make  the area more of a habitat for wildlife like birds.” We could try making Glasgow a habitat for new animals and plants, helping our ecosystem too. 

Mrs. Vestal, a member of Glasgow’s staff said, “I am not always confident that the recycling is actually recycled . . . I have seen janitors/custodians empty trash and recycling into the same bag.  It would be great to have some transparency about how recycling works at Glasgow.” 

Overall, Glasgow may not be the greenest school, but with passionate students and staff, we can change. Glasgow is very open to new things, so if you have an idea to help our school don’t hesitate to share it!. Change doesn’t happen overnight, but with hope and determination, the future looks a bit sunnier.