Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Some good news among the bad

It's heartening to see little kids trying their best to recycle and protect the environment, afterall, it will soon be their responsibility.

Five-thousand dollars is a lot of money to an elementary schooler. For the students at Gomes Elementary in Fremont, it's a reward for their commitment to the environment.

The school was among 3,000 across the nation to join the "Go Green & Small With 'All'" program, sponsored by the All detergent company. Gomes is one of two schools chosen from California. It was a learning experience for Georgia Pope, who told me that during the application process, "I figured out one person or one school can make a difference in the world."
Ten-year-old fifth grader Claire Yuan told me, "At school we recycle a lot and at home we recycle as much as possible. And, we switched to energy-efficient light bulbs."

Yuan is a member of the school's Eco Club, which sponsors campus cleanups, e-waste recycling days and environmental seminars for the rest of the school. Ten-year-old fifth grader Sara Ye said it puts a little fun in the air.

In addition to the $5,000 check presented Monday, the school is now qualified for a chance to earn an additional $45,000 in prize money to be awarded later this week.

Vice-principal Brett Nelson said the plan is to buy a recycling container where community members can drop off material, which the Eco Club will then recycle for profit. The money raised will help pay for other eco projects.

Eric Lee, one of the teachers who sponsors the school's Eco Club said he didn't want to jinx the national competition, but added, "I think we have a chance because we put our heart and soul into it."

-from MSNBC.com

pretty inspiring stuff, I will definitely educate my kids, when and if I have any, about the importance of recycling.

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