Managing Our Resources

Are you wasteful? How can others with much less live happily? What happens to everything you throw away, where does it go?

You love to go shopping and your parents always buy you new clothes. Just last week you went through your closet and threw away 4 pairs of shoes that were not in style anymore but still look new. One of the pairs your mom got you without checking first, they were not even name brand!

While you were telling your friends at lunch about the ugly shoes you threw out, you noticed a guy at your table turn red and look down. What you didn’t know is that he has five siblings and a mom who works two jobs. He moved here several years ago from Mexico where there were no jobs and his family lived in a tiny shack. He is grateful to be in the United States and have the opportunity for a better life. His mom has not been able to afford keeping the electricity running much less buying new shoes. Being poor doesn’t usually bother him, he is really happy that he has a great mom who cares, friends, and a roof over his head. You noticed his shoes and started to thinking about how he really needs to get new ones, when you asked him why he doesn’t have better shoes, he just shrugged and said, “these ones are still perfectly good” I would rather spend money on more important things like food for my family.

His comment hit you really hard, why would he need to buy food for his family? Don’t his parents just go to the store and keep the kitchen stocked? What would it be like not to have basic essentials? Did I really just throw out shoes because I thought they weren’t cool? Where are they now?

Think about something we could do at Crossroads Academy to better manage our resources and stop us from being so wasteful. Begin a campaign to help our school!