Editor's note: The author, Diana Sienkiewicz, is a first generation college student at Penn State Abington. She is a corporate communication major and information sciences and technology minor. Diana last wrote about learning to network through the campus Center for Career & Professional Development.
Take it from someone whose skin is constantly affected by the chemicals in our tap water, sustainability and sustainable living is an important matter not only for me, but also for you.
Recently, I partook in an opportunity that would educate me about one part of sustainability — recycling. Like many people my age, I grew up being told to not let the water run too long and to recycle. But sometimes, I wondered, what can we really recycle? I’ve heard that certain things we throw into the recycling bins cannot be recycled or are contaminated and get pulled. I didn’t know what was true.
I approached Shelly Grinar-Boyd, my environmental science teacher at Penn State Abington, and she came up with a unique way to educate students about recycling.
She collected plastic bottles from students, gathered the bottles, and organized a trip with a few Penn State Abington students to a recycling facility called TotalRecycle about 50 miles from campus.