We emailed Silver Creek High School principal, Eric Finnestead, as our third civic action. We didn’t know specifically what we should do next or what was already being done, but we figured the head of our school might have an idea. We formulated a couple of questions to ask him that would help us gain a better understanding of how a composting system would work in Silver Creek and sent him this:
Dear Mr. Finnestead,
As part of our Civics in Action unit in our CP Government class, my partner Kaitlyn Ryan and I are working to implement a composting program into Silver Creek. After surveying 300 Creek students, we've discovered that 71.3% of students would use a compost bin at school if one was available. However, we don't know the practicality or monetary details that would be involved in starting such a program. That being said, we have a few questions for you and it would be much appreciated if you take the time to answer them.
1.) Would extra personnel have to be hired to transport the compost out of the school?
2.) Would this program fit into an existing budget?
3.) Have you ever considered this or discussed this with anyone else?
4.) Do you personally think this is a practical thing for us to pursue?
We have chosen this as our project because we believe that it would better benefit our local environment. Also, it will cut down on the waste we produce daily, high schools being a large provider of this waste. Again, we appreciate the time you have taken to read our email and hope to hear from you soon. If a short one on conversation would be better, we can meet this Friday anytime from 7:30-9:00. We really appreciate your time and effort.
Sincerely,
Nicole Wilson and Kaitlyn Ryan
We were given an almost immediate response back, but, unfortunately, much of our questions did go unanswered or answered in a vague way. It reads as follows:
We've considered this and are looking at it for the future.
We are currently engaging students at Altona and Blue Mountain in this in the hopes to bring it to the high school. We are also looking at compost for food preparation in our kitchen.
I foresee this in the coming years at Silver Creek, as more students are trained at an earlier grade. Additionally, there is cost but we will work to address that. In the meantime, if I could have our students use the recycling and trash in accordance, this will greatly assist and reduce one time use plastics.
Mr. Finnestead
The principal did leave us with an ounce of hope, but knowing if it is truly possible will remain a mystery. Although we may have ended up with more questions than we started out with, it was definitely a learning experience to say to the grandchildren. We learned that it can be frustrating when things don’t go your way or there are people who try to stop you. We also learned that making changes won’t always be easy, but nevertheless, it’s the fact that you’re trying that makes it all worth while.