In honor of

Earth Day, which is Saturday, April 22, I am taking this

opportunity to share some opinions and inspirations

shared with me recently in a round table discussion

involving sixth grade students in Mrs. Cathy Hubble's

science class at Booth Middle School. We gathered after

school one afternoon to discuss recycling, following a

unit in which students studied a variety of eco-friendly

issues, such as alternative fuels, habitat preservation,

and conservation. As the future torch bearers of

environmental accountability, this is some of what these

12-year-olds had to say about their legacy.

The first topic students

raised was clear cutting for construction.

Laurel Thompson pointed out

that asthma rates are increasing among children in

metropolitan areas. Much of this is attributed to dome

effects in which exhaust pollutants are trapped and

create layers of smog which hover above our cities. More

people, more pollution, less trees, less oxygen.

Aaron Steinburg suggested

that car companies should make a priority of testing and

marketing "alternative fuel sources." The

students discussed the virtues of battery-powered

transportation, and pointed out that local residents who

use electric golf carts for transportation are fine

examples of this concept. Erin Trapaga would like to see

garbage converted to fuel. Such a concept was popularized

in the movie "Back to the Future," but somehow

doesn't seem so farfetched coming from these kids.

Sebastian Lukjan points out

that our biggest downfalls are our priorities. By and

large, most citizens "care [more] about their money

right now than the environment." Sebastian believes

that people need some incentive to conserve and recycle.

He thinks that "President Clinton should spend the

surplus by giving tax credits to those who

conserve." Erin Trapaga finds it "ridiculous

that you should have to pay to save the

environment."

Does anybody remember

collecting bottles from neighbors to wagon off to the

nearest store to collect deposit money? As of 1999, ten

states have enacted "bottle bills,"

reestablishing refundable deposits on returned bottles,

increasing recycling rates in some cases to over 85

percent, according to Waste Not Georgia (WNG) Board

Chairman Bob Woodall.

I have to confess that I

was an avid recycler in Gwinnett where the pickup service

was free. By most accounts, local residents pay an

average of $5 more per month for sanitation service if

they wish to have recyclables picked up at the curb.

Picking up recyclables is an expensive proposition for

sanitation businesses which simply must pass along the

cost as a fee in order to offer the service. I think that

we are generally pretty gullible consumers, and companies

could hike fees by $5 a month, include the service for

"free," and see rather dramatic increase in

participation. Did I really say that?

Cassie Paggen thinks that

more recycling deposit sites would encourage people to

drop off their recyclables. Actually we do have fairly

widespread opportunities already. Publix accepts recycled

garbage bags. Some local fire stations accept aluminum

cans, as well as some churches. Many of the schools have

drop-off bins for newspaper and aluminum, and consider

the proceeds a fund-raiser. Recycling centers take yard

debris, glass, plastics, newspapers, and sometimes phone

books and magazines, depending on the location and

current market for materials.

Andrew Wedemyer suggests

that our landfills are running over with food containers.

He recommends using "reusable cups with pop-up

lids" instead of drink boxes. Their teacher, Mrs.

Hubble, recites the mantra, "Reduce, reuse,

recycle."

Amber Trantham reminds us

to be sparing in our use of pesticides on lawns and golf

courses. Heavy rains can create chemical run off, which

pollutes our lakes and streams.

According to a report

released by the GrassRoots Recycling Network (GRRN),

entitled "Wasting and Recycling in the United States

2000," while Americans are recycling at record

rates, we are producing waste at record rates, too. The

trend towards plastics is troublesome because the

"cost of recycling the containers is often more than

what companies pay... for [new] plastic."

According to Pat Franklin,

Executive Director of the Container Recycling Institute

in Arlington, Va., in a report released to commemorate

Earth Day last year, over "750 billion aluminum

beverage cans have been landfilled since the first Earth

Day" in 1970. Pretty staggering, isn't it?

I'm guilty on virtually all

fronts, much to my own regret. I vow to be a better

steward of the earth's resources in the future. I could

say "out of the mouths of babes," but I would

profoundly offend my aspiring young interviewees, who

after all are the earth's future.

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