Recycling: Now is the time!

Do you cringe every time you see a colleague throw out a recyclable bottle, can, or printer paper? Well so did the Education and Technology Institute’s Energy Readiness class, so we decided to do something about it. And so can you, it might take some work but it is well worth it.

The Energy Readiness course is offered by the Education and Technology Institute for Pathways Out of Poverty Program participants. Pathways Out of Poverty offers assessment, training, and career counseling to better equip students with the skills necessary to enter the green industry. The Energy Readiness Course is part of the training and covers topics such as: environmental issues, conservation methods, green building, energy auditing and non-renewable energy sources such as coal, gas, oil, nuclear power, and renewable energy sources such as hydropower, solar, wind, geothermal, and building retrofit.

The need became apparent after a class discussion about recycling and students suggested that it would be easy to implement with little hassle to all involved. Upon approval, the students collected old boxes and created a flyer to inform the PIC-Uniontown office of the new program. Then students gathered recycled materials to cover the boxes so they would look uniform throughout the building. Students investigated and found appropriate placement for the twelve boxes. The first week students checked the boxes and trash cans daily in order to determine if people were changing their habits. With only a few bottles in the trash we were thrilled to see so many following the program. Now at the end of each week, we collect the recycling and transport it to the recycling center.

Reducing, reusing, recycling, and recovering are basic principles discussed in our classroom and in classrooms throughout the nation. Education and Technology Institute’s Energy Readiness course took those basic principles from classroom discussion to ACTION.