Hey guys!

When I was younger I used to be environment-crazy. I was the environmental police in my family—I would scream at my parents for using plastic bags instead of reusable containers and badger my brother to print double-sided. My friend (hi Vivian!) and I even wrote a complete comic book called “My Little Collection of Environmentally-Friendly Tips.” It’s quite fun to look back on.

As I got older and high school started to take over my life, I gradually lost my childhood obsession to conserve the planet. The only thing that mattered was school, school, school. Why did it matter that I went through two plastic bottles a day if I had to waste thirty seconds refilling my reusable one when I could be spending that time doing homework? (🙄) Some environmental scientists were going to figure out that problem for everyone, right?

Well, freshman and sophomore year me were wrong, I think. Last week I was wallowing in nostalgia, so I revisited National Geographic. It was my favorite website from when I was a little elementary/middle school kid. The first link on the site was a page called Planet or Plastic?, and, recalling my past environmentally-crazy self, I clicked on it.

The page was put together beautifully, but the content was absolutely atrocious. It highlighted human greediness and our neglect to respect and care for the Earth, our home. Why are we like this? I thought over and over again as I scrolled through the articles and graphics.

It was then when I realized my careless attitude about the environment was unacceptable. Yes, myself and the vast majority of all the people in the world value the convenience of disposable materials (paper cups, plastic bags, etc). We take for granted the resources we have (running water, electricity etc.)

We just do not see how much waste all this amounts to and how much water and energy we actually use. As a small end-of-the-summer project I decided to record all the things I consumed and used in one day, and calculate how much waste I produced. It’s not much, but I thought it was worth a shot.

I am currently processing the information now, and I will share the results soon. I must say I am no researcher; I’m just a measly high schooler who suddenly got a burst of inspiration. I am determined to keep my passion for the environment, though.

–Katie