April 22 marked the annual worldwide celebration of Earth Day. This year, the Earth Day Network is encouraging individuals to end plastic pollution. The network’s goal for this year’s Earth Day is to provide more information and raise awareness about the misuse of plastic in an attempt to suede people towards minimal plastic use, according to earthday.org. Environmental Science students, the Environmental Action Committee, and Science Research students at Sacred Heart Greenwich are raising awareness in the community by creating their own public service announcement (PSA) videos to engage students and educate them on this year’s Earth Day campaign. 

Planet Earth is now facing the repercussions of human-produced pollution that have emerged from littering and the over-use of plastic. There are currently 300 million tons of plastic produced each year, according to earthday.org. The consumption of plastic primarily stems from the use of plastic bags, bottles, and packages. Yet, despite large consumption, people only recycle ten percent of plastics properly, which leads to the release of dangerous chemicals that endanger human health and wildlife.In
The Earth Day Network is the world’s largest environmental movement, and it works to create campaigns and encourage citizens to take action, according to earthday.org. This movement is actively informing schools and universities, galvanizing organizations and networks, and highlighting local governments’ dedication to solving the issue of plastic consumption, according to earthday.org.

In the hopes of limiting the amount of pollution on Earth, the Earth Day 2018 Campaign devoted their movement this year to informing the public and changing human attitude and behavior with respect to plastic use. The network has created two different online resources where people can either pledge to try to reduce plastic usage or sign a petition to work to end plastic pollution, according to earthday.org.

Additionally, the Earth Day Network has also launched a campaign called “Create Your Own Act of Green.” This campaign encourages citizens to participate in several acts of change including planting trees, educating students in schools, and spreading environmentally-conscious thinking by speaking out against climate change, according to earthday.org.

Upper School Science Teacher Ms. Mary Musolino explained how Environmental Science students and Science Research seniors created PSAs and entered a school-organized Earth Day video contest to increase awareness about the issues devastating the planet. Sacred Heart Upper School and Middle School students and faculty voted for their favorite PSAs. First place winners were seniors Abby Leyson, Morgan Hennessy, Nephthalie Rene, and Gianna Morano for their PSA titled “Skating on Thin Ice.”

Juniors Sara Micciulli, Sophie Skinner, and Mary Anne Gallagher are co-heads of the Environmental Action Committee at Sacred Heart. The committee hopes to spread awareness about protecting the environment, as well as encourage students to become actively involved in reducing plastic waste.

The 2018 Worldwide Earth Day theme “Ending Plastic Pollution” has particularly inspired the club heads to advocate for the reduced use of plastic during the school year and within the Sacred Heart community. Sophie explains how this year’s theme ties in perfectly with the ongoing project the club is conducting: creating a PSA which will inform all viewers of the dangers of plastic usage. 

“In addition to our PSA, we have switched to Earth-friendly water bottles which can be reused for years, unlike plastic water bottles which, after being used for 4 days, release chemicals that may be damaging to human bodies,” Sophie said. “We encourage our whole Sacred Heart community to switch to Earth-friendly water bottles as well in an effort to reduce our carbon footprints.”

The committee is in the process of creating a video to present to the school community about the need to protect the planet. In addition, the group has entered several academic competitions where students create projects that address global warming and the rising of sea levels. These competitions required students to conduct labs, write reports, collaborate on videos, and study how humans can overcome the misuse of plastic that harms our planet.

“Just one small act of reducing your use of water bottles or switching to eco-friendly bags at the grocery store can go a long way,” Sophie said. “We plan to share all of our ideas with our Sacred Heart community and beyond in the near future.”

Featured Image Graphic by Juliana Collins ’19