The Amazon is on fire, Iceland’s glaciers are melting, sea levels are rising, and Eco-Anxiety is at an all time high for teenagers and young adults. 

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard that the environment is on the edge of collapsing. On Friday September 20th, students across the US skipped school to march at the Global Climate Strike. Media coverage has finally brought awareness to the millions of Adam Stoberts who refuse to believe in climate change. 

Despite all this bad news, it’s comforting to know that Knoch High School is doing what it can to protect the environment.

According to Mr. Lapishka, head of buildings and grounds, “Over the summer, the district contracted with a company to remove and recycle all of our old, expired and unused chemicals.These chemicals are considered hazardous materials and were properly recycled and disposed of by Environmental Service Group. This was arranged in conjunction with the Butler County Intermediate Unit and was costly to the district.”  

In addition to recycling chemicals, the district is currently working towards getting rid of all the old TVs that have been here since 1700. 

“Roger Myers, Director of I.T., is currently researching companies that recycle these materials and has asked the school board for permission to contract with the least costly vendor,” said Mr. Lapishka. 

Another source of conservation in the district is the football field. The water used to water the grass comes from an underground well and does not add any additional costs or impede the school’s water supply.

All in all, the school seems to be doing all it can to lessen its impact on the planet.

 Except, wait a minute. What happened with all the recycling bins? First they were gone…but now they’re back? Which leads me to the question of the millenium: where the H-E-Double Hockey Sticks did they go in the first place? 

To rub dirt in the face of the already minimal plastic recycling within the school, the paper recycling program was discontinued last May. The only two recycling bins in the entirety of Knoch School were then located in the senior and junior cafeterias. I felt guilty even looking at a trash can when I was holding paper. 

Fortunately, there was one teacher who was stepping up to help out. Frau Karns had recently volunteered to take her students’ unwanted papers home with her to recycle. 

“I am well aware of how much paper I use as part of the instructional process. A lot of practice is required to learn a foreign language so I do go through a lot of paper in the process. I couldn’t stand the idea of sending much of it to a landfill in the regular garbage. So every week, I take home paper to recycle,” said Frau Karns. 

So what happened to the paper recycling bins? The district actually has a very reasonable answer. 

“The paper recycling bins were removed from the High School because the company that supplied them was not servicing them or emptying them on a regular basis.  The lids were broken or missing and the bins would fill up causing paper to be blown all over campus and the surrounding area,” said Mr. Lapishka. 

 “The company, Paper Retriever, was contacted on MANY occasions to fix and empty the bins. All that was ever offered were excuses as to why they were unable to service the bins. I have made several inquiries into getting a replacement company to take over our paper recycling, however there aren’t any companies in the area that will provide the service at no cost to the district as Paper Retriever does.”

Now the paper recycling bins are back. The district was ultimately able to reach an agreement with Paper Retriever. 

“Moving forward, Paper Retriever is committed to providing a more reliable service to the district. With that being said, we are making a few changes to make this program a success.  The recycling bins are now located near the maintenance building between the High School and Middle School. This will allow the bins to be used by the school district only,” said Mr. Lapishka.