I was devastated this month when beloved conservationist Jane Goodall passed away in her sleep. During her time on earth, she worked tirelessly to protect her beloved chimpanzees. 

However, she also established an institute not only dedicated to chimpanzees but also to promoting recycling. Goodall left a lasting legacy behind, and it is the job of the younger generations to not give up on the principles she devoted her life to protect.   

Although her spirit and love for the earth will be greatly missed, we as a community can honor her by learning from the message she left behind and doing our part to ensure the future of our environment. 

That starts here at LFHS––it’s time for our school to finally embrace recycling.

You might feel that you are doing your part when you put your empty Poppi can or old papers in the blue recycling bins in class, but I am here to bring you down to earth: The trash in the blue bins doesn’t actually go into the recycling. It’s almost like they are just there for show.

“The bins labeled ‘recycling’ in the classroom get dumped into the garbage,” said environmental science teacher Mrs. Jessica Nardulli. 

Undeterred, Mrs. Nardulli has created her own system. She takes the recycled trash from the school home with her to put in her personal recycling bin. She is someone who embodies Jane Goodall’s legacy. 

It’s time the rest of us take individual action, too. We need to take recycling into our own hands. 

Whether that’s throwing out our recyclable products at home, like Mrs. Nardulli, or pushing the administration to end the “fake” recycling bins, we can make a difference together. 

Let’s leave our mark at LFHS, just as Jane Goodall left hers on the world.