Naturally, Buena’s campus is where staff members and students spend a large portion of their time. Wouldn’t this be a good reason to ensure campus is a clean environment? This year at school, litter has been becoming an increasingly prevalent issue. After Nutrition and Lunch Break trash from cafeteria food can be found blowing away in the wind or sitting on the floor, along with leftover food. This is quite upsetting for more than one reason. 

Living in the naturally scenic place that we live in, you would think that prioritizing the well-being of the environment would be important to most, if not all individuals. It is no lie that the health of the earth is rapidly worsening. 

“Global warming is far greater than just increasing temperatures,” an article by NASA states. “It modifies rainfall patterns, amplifies coastal erosion, lengthens the growing season in some regions, melts ice caps and glaciers, and alters the ranges of some infectious diseases’.

Global warming may be the most talked about threat to the natural environment, but it is not the only one. Trash not being properly disposed of can find its way into the ocean, and into the habitats of other animals, harming them and their well being. In fact, 80% of marine pollution can be traced back to sources on land.

This then leads to not only the death of wildlife in many ecosystems, but it also contaminates seafood we then consume. In this we, we face the consequences of our own actions. 

An issue which directly affects our campus everyday is creating more work for our janitorial staff who already work hard as it is. They already have to drive around campus continuously emptying trash cans and ensuring a clean campus, now on top of that, they have to pick up student’s trash 

This seems completely unnecessary as high school students should be perfectly capable of cleaning up after themselves. 

The act of taking your trash and putting it in a trashcan is simple. Trash cans are conveniently located in most, if not all areas of Buena and definitely in each and every classroom. Remembering to pick up your trash will not only help the school and its hard-working employees, but also the environment and the animals in it. 

I urge you to think before leaving waste sitting around.