“At YYGS, I heard more than I could possibly imagine. A single conversation taught me more about human geography than a semester of freshman World Geography. Reading about censorship and progress is one thing; it’s another thing entirely for friends to tell you about it firsthand. There’s something moving about putting faces to the stories you’d otherwise only hear about in articles and textbooks.”
This summer, I learned about the ecological and humanitarian dangers of food waste. We throw away enough food to solve world hunger four times over, generating 8% of global carbon dioxide emissions in the process. I’ve realized that we don’t have a shortage of resources- just an issue with how we handle them. Ever since, I’ve become hyper-aware of the massive amounts of food thrown away at my school every day.
As a result, I’m working with my school district to create a food share and food redistribution program in our schools. Our school is required to give students certain food items when they purchase lunches, so that food often goes uneaten. A food share bin would enable students to leave that food for someone else who might want it and would help the cafeteria monitor which food is consistently thrown out. With food redistribution, extra unopened food can be sent to our local food banks. I’ve written to and met with representatives from our district’s waste program and our Director of Child Nutrition to set up this program, and planning is well on its way. We’re currently connecting with organizations to assist with the distribution of this food. Soon, my community will be one step closer to protecting our planet and its future.