Students plan to preserve environment
Derek Neary
Northern News Services
Fort Simpson (Jan 12/01) - The community should follow the lead of students at Thomas Simpson school.
At last count Monday morning, 598 cans had been collected since Nov. 18 through the Fort Simpson school's recycling bin by students in the natural resource course.
"We're environmentally-friendly," said Darrell Betsaka, a Grade 12 natural resources student, who is also a member of the Deh Cho Friendship Centre's Recycling Planning Committee.
Betsaka said he enrolled in the course because he's an "outdoors person." In addition to recycling, the course has also taught him about the effects of mining on the environment.
Classmate Jennifer Wharton-McInnis gives Fort Simpson a passing grade when it comes to environmentalism, but only marginally.
"Compared to a lot of other places this is pretty environmentally-friendly, but we still have a lot of work to do," she said. "We need to work on public awareness."
Community awareness is exactly what teacher Dave Wright had in mind when he decided to offer the course.
"You've got a place that's so clean now ... the air is so much cleaner, the sky is so much bluer. It would be nice to start something now before it's too late," he said, adding that it's easier to preserve an environment than to try an reclaim a devastated one.
"The high school students are the generation that's going to have to do it."
Wright, who is from Nova Scotia where recycling programs are common, said collecting cans is a start, but he'd like to see the local recycling program expanded.
But there's no nearby market for used paper, and the cans will likely have to be transported Nelson, B.C. for refund.
Whatever money is returned will be used to help finance publicity for an environmental club that will continue after the course is complete.
Club members could undertake initiatives like promoting composting in the community, he said.
The Natural Resources class has already raised its profile in the school by creating posters, slogans and running articles in the school paper. They made a memorable presentation to the student body as well.
Three of the natural resources students dressed up as characters "Reduce Man, Reuse Woman and Recycle Man," complete with garbage bag capes.
They went by the name "The Green Team." It's likely going to stick as the name for the club, Wright said.
