From left to right, essay contest winners Bailey Connor, Jasmin Young, Jennifer Wise. Photo Courtesy Heritage-WTI
As winner of the first Earth Preservers and Heritage-WTI environmental essay contest, 12-year-old Jennifer Wise from Saint Aloysius Elementary in East Liverpool, OH used Earth Preservers to help research her topic, then wrote passionately about the need to rid the world of plastic bags.
from Jennifer Wise
Plastic bags are everywhere! They are also the cause of major environmental concerns. It is estimated that an average individual uses around 130 plastic bags per year. Plastic bags accompany us home each time we shop. They swirl about our oceans, they cling to our trees, they drift down our city sidewalks, they adorn metal fences, and they’re consumed by animals.
Each year across the world some 500 billion plastic bags are used, and only a tiny fraction of them are recycled. Plastic shopping bags can last up to a thousand years in a landfill. In the environment, they break down into tiny toxic particles that become part of the soil and water. Countless plastic bags end up in our oceans and cause harm to our marine wildlife. Many marine animals and birds mistakenly ingest plastic or become entangled and choke in plastic bags that are floating around. Land animals that mistakenly ingest plastic bags end up choking or starving to death because the plastic cannot be digested.
Plastic bags can spend an eternity in landfills. The most effective way of reducing the amount of plastic litter in the environment is to reduce our consumption, As consumers, we should not wait for our governments to tackle the problem of plastic bags. Reusable bags and education are the best alternatives. The best thing we can do right now is change our behavior as consumers and begin valuing durability instead of disposability.
Runners-up Bailey Connor of American Spirit Academy and Jasmin Young of Beaver Local Middle School wrote just as passionately about arsenic in water and habitat destruction. Bailey stressed that plastic bottles could be used to remove arsenic from water, while Jasmin warned that forest habitats are rapidly disappearing. Jennifer won $100, Bailey $50, and Jasmin $25.
from Bailey Connor
Arsenic Cancer and Arsenic Removal From Water
Arsenic, poisonous to humans and has been known to cause cancer in the bladder, skin, lungs, and kidneys. Scientists have discovered a solution but have we really thought of the possibilities of stopping this silent killer? I believe that this is a very important environmental problem because in our society, 1in 3 people will be diagnosed with cancer, and arsenic in the water is one of the main causes. Environmental scientists have learned that by cutting up plastic water bottles and combining them with nutrients from dietary supplement, arsenic can be removed from the water. However, has anyone thought of taking the billions of bottles we use each year to solve this problem? No. The massive number of bottles we use each year could wrap around the world 100 times. If we recycle those bottles and combine them with the nutrients from dietary supplements, we could reduce the amount of arsenic in the water, and save thousands of lives! Now here’s the big question, are you willing to help?
from Jasmin Young
Habitat Destruction
My report is on Habitat Destruction. More than eighty-five percent of forest habitats have been permanently destroyed in the United States. Ninety-nine percent of the original forests in the eastern United States have been cut. They take away animals habitats by cutting down trees and polluting the waters. Three out of every four grassland bird species in North America have declined in abundance during the past thirty years. In Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas, only five percent of one widespread coastal prairie remains. in eastern Montana, about ninety percent oi the trees in wooded draws have been removed. Most habitat destruction is caused by East growing human population. Habitat destruction is the single greatest threat to plants and animals. Soil erosion has in turn left plants with no protection. Urbanization has occurred due to migration and growing industrial development. Up to half of all new-plant growth each year on the planet ls harvested for human use.. About half of the forests that once covered the Earth are now gone! 0ne-third of the worlds natural resources have been used up in the past thirty years.
Heritage-WTI presented checks to the winners as part of its Earth Day festivities. An Earth Preservers corporate sponsor for many years, Heritage-WTI hopes to make the contest an annual event for elementary and middle school students in the East Liverpool area.
