It’s no secret that humans have, over the past several hundred years, been polluting the
environment to the point where it is not only negatively affecting animals and the ecosystem, but
us as well. According to an article by The Guardian, people eat at least 50,000 plastic particles a
year or even the equivalent of one credit card a week. The plastic that you intake comes from the
small particles in the food that you consume.
Our bodies are not the only thing that plastic is entering in unhealthy amounts. It is
estimated that 1.15 to 2.41 million tons of plastic are entering the ocean each year from rivers as
stated in an article by the environmental organization, The Ocean Cleanup. There is a huge pile
of trash floating in the ocean about halfway between Hawaii and California called the Great
Pacific Garbage Patch and there are four others almost as big, located in different areas of the
ocean. As a result of fluctuating winds and currents, the Garbage Patches’ location and shape are
constantly changing.

An article written by Kadir van Lohuizen for the Washington Post states that with a sharp
increase in the world population and many economies growing, we are producing more waste
than ever. In Europe and the United States, our trash is largely invisible once it’s tossed.
This adds to the mentality that most people have, that they don’t actually contribute that
much to the big picture of trash pollution when in reality on average, Americans throw away
their own body weight in trash every month.
Here at CHS we have been doing our best to be more green and have less of a negative
impact on the environment. Just this year we have started putting recycling bins in every class so
that students and teachers have the opportunity to recycle paper in an easy and efficient way.
“One of the main goals as a teacher is to make the world a better place, and recycling is
one way that we can positively influence our students,” Science teacher Mrs. Jimmerson said.
Jimmerson has played a role in helping organize the recycling facilities at the school. Mrs.
Jimmerson and the Ecology club were also responsible for coordinating efforts to install
Hydration Stations around the High school campus. The Hydration Stations inside the main
building alone have saved 38,147 water bottles.