The Valley Torah Scroll

A substantial amount of the Valley Torah Environmental Awareness Club’s advocacy is directed towards the importance of recycling. The club (known as E.A.C.) believes it is essential for students to gain an understanding as to why recycling is so important.

To put it simply, planet Earth has a limited quantity of natural resources- some of which are in very short supply. Recycling allows for the reuse of many basic materials which, in turn, reduces the number of natural resources required to produce more of those initial materials. For example, recycling paper and wood (materials) would help preserve trees and forests (natural resources) by not requiring the production of paper and wood from scratch. The same applies to many other materials; recycling plastic reduces the need for new plastic production, recycling metals reduces the need for excessive mining, and recycling glass reduces the need for sand harvesting. Because recycling reduces the need to cultivate, mine, and extract raw materials from Earth, that, in turn, reduces the environmental damage being done to the natural world. Ultimately, as fewer forests are cut down, fewer rivers become diverted, fewer animals get harmed or displaced, and less pollution is emitted. This last result occurs because recycling reduces the amount of energy required for sourcing and processing new raw materials, which results in lower carbon emissions, and can help with global warming. Thus, as recycling reduces the amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere, it is an impactful way everyday individuals can assist in the battle against climate change.

Now, the Environmental Awareness Club understands that it can be challenging to know where to dispose of scrap materials once a student has finished with them, so to ensure that garbage and recycling bins are used properly at the Valley Torah High School boys’ campus, the E.A.C. has made an effort to establish guidelines to direct the appropriate usage of each bin. 

The club’s first step to assuring transparency has been to provide clear signage as to what each bin on campus is there for. The E.A.C. has clearly labeled each on-campus bin and provided additional signage nearby as to what may- and may not- be discarded in each one. Furthermore, for every trash bin on campus, there is a recycling bin next to it. Members of the E.A.C. will guarantee that all bins are always available and easily accessible. 

E.A.C. co-presidents Sammy Kohanteb (‘20) and David Kerendian (‘22) have also taken considerable measures to meet with both the V.T. administration and the V.T. Student Council to ensure that when planning school events, having proper access to trash and recycling bins is a priority. This will ensure that waste is disposed of accordingly and that bins will not overflow. The Co-Presidents have also met with the high school’s janitorial staff to confirm that both trash and recycling bins are large enough and emptied often enough to accommodate the expected amount and types of waste. 

To find out more about recycling and waste management, check out this free resource at https://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/ and see how you can further assist.

-Sincerely brought to you by the VTHS Environmental Awareness Club 

[If you would like to learn more about our club and what we do, do not hesitate to contact the club’s co-president David Kerendian at Dakerendian@vths.org !]