When we were little, Earth Day was a day of value. We would spend hours picking up trash and learning about recycling. This is what the Berlin community needs to go back to.  Yes, it is important to instill empathy for the environment at a young age, but what good does that empathy do when it disappears when we need it most?

 Once students reach high school, the most that happens on Earth Day is a post about caring. Beside a few club led activities, there are no school-wide activities or opportunities for students to help the environment. For example, holding an assembly, a guest speaker, or organized clean up time. The area around the high school’s parking lots, track, and even the garden, has trash from people’s lunches covering the grounds on a daily basis. If we were to go back to our roots and spend as little as 40 minutes cleaning around our school, that alone would bring awareness, helping to make a difference.

In addition to helping the environment, this would also help the student community. Earth Day is April 22, towards the end of the school year, when stress is high in all grades. If the high school were to take a break, to enjoy the sun, laugh with friends, while simultaneously cleaning up our shared space, it would allow the students to relax and enjoy themselves mentally. 

This being said, The Red ‘n’ Green commends the clubs that have taken matters into their own hands this Earth Day. Members of the KIND committee, Key Club, and Student Council decided to spend their fifth hour picking up trash and helping to enhance the overall well-being of the community. So the school district should take a page from these clubs, and get all students involved in earth day.