By Drew Dieckmann
God’s creations are precious and should not be destroyed. We should not make our future generations suffer in a polluted world. If we keep our current lifestyles, you can expect to wear gas masks just to go out in public. We can change the future with the three R’s: reduce, reuse and recycle.
The first “R” is reduce. One thing we could do is to reduce the amount of trash we have. By doing that, we can slowly reduce the amount of garbage in the landfills. Another thing we could do is reduce how much food we waste. Buying smaller containers or containers made of recycled materials can help too. When we reduce, we do not just help ourselves; we help others, too.
The second “R” is reuse. More people need to reuse things when they are done using them. For example, most people will buy water bottles and throw them away afterward and continue that cycle. Instead, why not reuse the bottle and refill it with water from the sink. This can save the environment and save you some extra money. It also could drastically reduce the amount of trash in landfills. Did you know that each person, on average, throws away 4.4 pounds of trash per day?
The last “R” is recycle. Recycling is easy and no one should have any trouble doing it. Recycling does a lot for the environment. When we recycle, we can save what God created. By recycling metal, plastic and paper, other items can be made from these materials. Even if you have to put a recycling bin in your kitchen to remind you to recycle, then that is what you should do. Recycling is a big part of my life, and it should be a big part of yours too.
We have to keep our environment safe. God didn’t create it so we could destroy it. We should treat it like we treat everything special to us. It’s not too much to ask people to reduce, reuse and recycle. We have to protect God’s creation because it cannot protect itself.
(Drew Dieckmann is an eighth-grader at St. Joseph School in DeWitt. He attends St. Joseph Church.)
