A Greener World

Earth Day 2009 marked the culmination of a year-long project at Lehman Catholic High School called “3 R’s for a Greener World.”  The 3 R’s – Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle –
were the focuses of a project of Lehman’s Environmental Science Class which was funded with a YEA! Grant from The Piqua Community Foundation.

Teacher, Jenny Weber, led the science class to a new understanding of the way waste, pollution, and loss of non-renewable resources affect the environment, wildlife, human life and the world economy.  The students then educated their peers, teachers, families and school staff members regarding the small things they could do that would have a big impact on the world and its future.

Suggested actions to reduce energy usage included carpooling, avoiding drive-thrus, turning off game systems and computers and unplugging chargers when not in use.  Students urged the reuse of coffee mugs and non-disposable water bottles, and reusable shopping bags instead of paper or plastic.  The class designed, produced and distributed 300 reusable shopping bags to the Lehman community.  And six large receptacles to recycle aluminum cans and plastic bottles were placed on the school campus to encourage recycling those items.

Each person attending the Earth Day assembly on April 22 was presented with a reusable L.H.S. shopping bag and a bookmark listing reminders to reduce, reuse and recycle.

Lehman teacher, Jenny Weber, and student, Ryan Jacob, discussed the project and displayed the reusable shopping bags at the Community Foundation annual meeting.

"Providing your opportunity to enrich our community"