WAHS hosts clean up

Basseterre, St. Kitts - When the Young Leaders of Washington Archibald High School (WAHS) first assembled, it was too dark to see any sign of enthusiasm. The slow movements and hushed voices amids

t the silence suggested that fatigue and weariness still maintained some grasp on the students of WAHS. But who could blame them? It was a Saturday during Christmas vacation. The sun itself had not risen and many of them, only a few hours before, had been at the same venue enjoying the fanfare atmosphere at The UDC Talented Teen Pageant and Junior Calypso Show. 

Still, even if their heads hung heavy and their arms fell feebly to their sides, the small group of students remembered their objective. They knew why they were there in the first place; bodies breaking before even dawn. They had by then internalized their mission: to start a green revolution and reverse the carbon footprint caused by land pollution. Day or night, then was the right time.

Few persons who hear the term “ecological footprint” or even its alias/subset “carbon footprint” are really aware of the true meaning of these words. In fact, most persons might dismiss the terminology; considering it as either an idea that is over their heads or as something else that just does not concern them. 

But the truth is, these words concern all of us for it impacts our environment. The quality of air we breathe; the standard of water we use and consume; the grade of soil on which we plant our feet and in which we grow our crops. It is our Earth and so these words greatly concern every single one of us.

Each individual possesses a “carbon footprint” which is a measure of the impact made on the environment as the result of individual lifestyle. As the name and definition suggest, there is some correlation between the carbon dioxide gas produced and the activities that take place within and around our everyday lives. 

Whether directly or indirectly, traveling, manufacturing, cleaning and even eating all require energy which is predominantly supplied by the burning of fossil fuels.
 
Combustion of fossil fuels creates a significant amount of carbon dioxide, the gas which for a long time has been considered the main contributor to The Greenhouse Effect. 

The more energy intensive the activity, the larger the footprint and the greater the contribution to the detriment of Earth. So, the smaller the footprint the better for us all.

Waste management, disposal and/or treatment are also energy intensive processes and so would make a significant impact in terms of the carbon dioxide produced. 

With this in mind the Young Leaders of WAHS, set out not only to beautify certain terrestrial areas in the island’s capital but also reduce the of amount of energy expended in clean up, management, separation and disposal of waste simply by lending a hand. 

While brainstorming during a regular general meeting, the idea of cleaning up heavily frequented areas resulted in contact being made with a Mr. Allister Williams at the Festivals Secretariat. Representatives of the Young Leaders being a group of able-bodied teenagers offered to be an unofficial clean up crew to augment the efforts of the 2008/2009 carnival committee.

 And so the collaboration was made. Armed to the wrist with latex gloves and makeshift protective wear, a team of green t-shirted soldiers spent nearly four hours cleaning up the facility. 

Using garbage bags donated by local businesses such as Horsford's ValuMart, C&C Superfoods, RAMS Supermarket and Best Buy Supermarket, the group went about gathering and sorting the various bottles and different boxes, cups, plates and paper napkins carelessly discarded by patrons of the previous night’s event. By the end of the activity, the students had collected seventeen (17) bags of garbage weighing approximately 10 lbs each for a total of 170 lbs of garbage.

It was a small but still observable victory. The litter of the dark was nowhere to be found amidst the early morning daylight. Even now, a month later, the Young Leaders of WAHS, albeit proud, are definitely aware of the fact that there is much more to be done. They know that the battle is ongoing.   ~~Adz:Left~~

They will continue to do their part - executing other landscape beautification projects, seed planting exercises, organizing beach clean ups, and awareness campaigns - fully cognizant of the fact that “even if the footprint cannot be totally erased because we [human beings] have to live and survive, our prints have to be as small as possible.”

Here’s to making our carbon prints smaller than those of our past and setting a good example for those who will walk in our footprints.