No Title by Allison Gianficaro
November 1, 2023, 1:23 p.m.
3rd Floor of the Health and Human Development Building
As I was walking to my SOC 30 class, I came across this line of trash and recycling bins. Penn State has these all over campus to try and help students make the effort to throw their trash and recycling in the right bins.
I chose to take this photo because I thought that it showed the effort that our school makes to help our Earth. It shows how simple it can be to discard your waste in the right ways and just how much of a difference that one small step can do for our planet. These lines of trash bins are scattered all over campus in almost every building. They even give you examples and pictures of what things to throw in each bin, which can be so helpful for putting things where they belong.
This photo made me feel many emotions. One that I mainly felt was hopeful. There are so many news articles and current events that make me worried and scared for our planet and environment, but this was just one small thing that made me feel some sort of hope for our society. I think it is so great that Penn State is taking action in doing these small things that can help our planet so much. This photo also brought me joy. This joy came from the thought that students are even learning about waste disposal and recycling and where it goes. After seeing so many things on the news about how our planet is being destroyed, this one thing gave me an immense sense of hope and joy for the future of our planet.
In reflection, it can be so easy to just leave your trash out or throw it all in the same bin. But, when you take a few extra seconds to separate it into where it belongs, you are making such a difference to our Earth and the future of our planet. I think businesses and facilities everywhere should be equipped with these trash bins. This is just one small step us humans can take to save our planet and end climate change.
Allison is a second-year early childhood education major from Lansdale, Pennsylvania. She hopes to one day have her own classroom and teach her students about the importance of climate change and what they can each do to help end climate change.