By Janet Platt
Trinity Times Correspondent

When Claudia Rosa-Rivera joined a group of fellow Trinity Washington University students on campus for lunch, the shining sun beating down on them provided the perfect setting for a discussion on environmental concerns.

Sitting on a white cotton blanket adorned with pink embroidered roses, the students discussed the conscious choices they were making to protect Earth’s environment and how doing so will ultimately guard the health of humans and other inhabitants of the planet they call home.

It was a fitting discussion for their Earth Day Picnic April 19, 2023, in honor of the day environmentalists have set aside since 1970 to demonstrate support for environmental protection.

Earth Day is officially recognized every April 22, but events are often held throughout the month of April to focus on environmental concerns.

“We must all work hard to create a cleaner environment,” Rosa-Rivera said with conviction during the Earth Day Picnic, hosted by the Trinity Sustainable Initiatives Club. “Each person should do their part.”

All the students insisted it was imperative they all be good stewards of the environment they live in and discussed best practices to ensure the planet has clean air and water, and to reduce emissions to slow climate change.

Simply planting a tree helps to provide oxygen and remove harmful carbon dioxides, the students said, adding that composting reduces the need for fertilizing with toxic chemicals and pesticides. 

Composting is often an overlooked practice, the students said, but maintained that it’s easy, reduces greenhouse gas and emissions that affect climate change. 

While most of the students were familiar with recycling, not all of them understood its economic benefits. 

For example, the National Institutes of Health took in nearly $235,000 in revenues for its recycling materials in 2021. Those recyclable materials were in the form of cardboard, mixed paper, scrap metal, wood pallets and pipette tip racks. 

“Recycling is essential and should be mandatory on all campuses while we are advancing in technology,” Trinity student Melanny Lopez-Coronado said. “We should do better at preserving the planet in which we live.”

There are so many ways people can protect the environment in their every day lives, Lopez-Coronado said, adding that some of those practices are easy, while others will require investment.

“For example, ensuring we are not polluting the waters,” she said. “Fish we eat come from the water, and if it’s contaminated, it can harm us.”

The students suggested several changes people can make to reduce their use of water, including the installation of low-flow water fixtures and touchless high-efficiency faucets. 

The four Rs – recycle, reduce, reuse, and rebuy – are promoted by the National Institutes of Health as a way of maintaining a better quality for all living beings, which include plants, insects and animals. 

Every species has an important role in the balance of the Earth’s ecosystems, including something as small as a bee. 

The pollination bees provide contribute directly to a third of the world’s food production, according to bee experts at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. This is why the students said they are committed to doing their part to conserve and care for their planet for future generations.