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Green is the New Green
"It wasn’t until we told them that recycled bottles and cans could be redeemed for money--a meager five cents a piece--that recycling bins appeared around campus. "
By Catlin Grey
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While raising money for high school events, Youth Radio’s Catlin Grey found out that her current high school is a lot like a large corporation. Instead of going green for the benefit of the earth, they are recycling for the benefit of their wallets.
It’s not just businesses trying to cash in on the green movement.
At my high school, we’ve found a way to raise money for school events through our recycling program. But it seems like making money has taken priority over the recycling itself.
Our plan was simple, we wanted to get bins in every room and people to empty them regularly, but we encountered months of resistance from our student government. It wasn’t until we told them that recycled bottles and cans could be redeemed for money--a meager five cents a piece--that recycling bins appeared around campus. But the new bins were only for bottles and cans, and while those were taken out regularly, tons of paper waste piled up. Why? Because the student government was only willing to help recycle the things that made money.
And although I’m happy that the student government was interested at all, it saddens me that moola was their only motive. Whatever people’s incentive is for “going green” is fine with me, but I hope that one day, we won’t have to choose between making green and going green.
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