In recent years multiple sources including local news outlets and PennDOT, have reported that there are over 500 million pieces of trash scattered along Pennsylvania’s main roads. That’s about 39 pieces of trash for each individual person in Pennsylvania.
As an Indiana resident and current senior at Indiana Area Senior High School, I’ve lived along a highway for the entirety of my life. It hasn’t always been the same one, but the common factor remains the same: excessive litter.
This is what inspired me to apply to be a young ambassador for Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, and consequently being selected as one of 35 ambassadors spread across Pennsylvania through a competitive application process. The organization’s mission is to “[empower] Pennsylvanians to keep our communities clean and beautiful.”
As a Young Ambassador, I conduct and coordinate one cleanup event and one education event throughout the duration of the year. According to a PennDOT, DEP, and KPB survey, the most commonly found items are cigarette butts and various forms of plastic, which make up almost 70% of the litter. Typical sources consist of walking pedestrians and car drivers using their windows as disposal methods.
What’s more, this amount of trash is expensive to clean up, costing up to 14 million dollars each year. In addition, all of this waste has harmful effects on wildlife, and the environment, contaminating both soil and water sources, which in turn costs more money in order to remedy the problem.
Where does all this money come from? Taxpayers. Even with the money and the long list of volunteers to help conduct clean-up events, the accumulation of litter is proving difficult to keep up with. Something needs to be done, and not just by way of clean-up events. But how do you change the actions of millions? How do you get others to stop littering? The first thing would be to consider why people litter in the first place. Convenience, for example.
People are more likely to litter if there are no trash cans readily available as they don’t want to hang on to unnecessary garbage. The chance of a person littering in an area that already has a lot of litter is also higher compared to places that are cleaner. Hence, the logical solution would be to install more frequent garbage cans, make recycling services more accessible, and potentially suggest that everyone keep a bag in their cars reserved for their trash.
However, in order to create change that’s long-lasting, you have to start at the root of the problem; respect for the environment. By educating younger generations about the importance of keeping their surroundings clean and beautiful and finding a way to make them care about the cause and inspire them to do something about it, we may be able to begin to shape a world where you don’t have to read about state litter problems in the newspaper.
This knowledge can then be passed on to the generations to come, but it has to start with us. We have to be the catalysts to kickstart the change we want to see. We first have to care about the environment if we want others to care. One person is capable of creating change, but when many people work together, the impact of that change can be increased tenfold, as cliche as it may sound. This planet has gifted us with so much and has taken care of us for millennia. I think it’s long past due that we, as a collective, begin to return the favor.
By Elizabeth Olsen With the change of seasons swiftly approaching, there are many things that the IHS student body has to look forward to. One of the most anticipated events coming up would be the annual spring musical, put on by the IHS Drama Club. This year, the club is
By Gabi Isenberg It’s that time of year again. Mini-THON 2024 is rapidly approaching and IHS Leadership has prepared a fun night for the school on March 21. Mini-THON is one of the largest school-organized and student-planned events. It is a smaller version of Penn State’s THON, during which students
By Elia Dietz Students at IHS have begun to take up employment as an after-school activity. Whether it is for experience, money, or simply to keep busy with an extra benefit, almost the majority of students spend their free time after school or on weekends working. When thinking about applying
By Addison Mosco IHS girls’ basketball kicked off their season with a game at Forest Hills High School against the Forest Hills Rangers. The game ended with a score of 45 Indiana and 53 Forest Hills. Regarding how the season is going, sophomore Laken Kugler comments, “I believe our team
By Ella Mosco The Variety Show is an annual event on Teddy Bear Fund Drive Day to raise money for the Teddy Bear Fund Drive. Auditions for the variety show were on December 13 after school. Auditions were held to go over the acts with students who wished to participate
By Gabi Isenberg IHS boys’ hockey is back in season and the team is dominating the ice. With a varsity record of 9-3, their season is looking to be a prominent one. This year, the IHS hockey team is led by coach Steve Rebovich and captains, senior Nate Wood and