Garbage vs Garden
By: Emmanuel Stephens
April 3rd 2024
Philadelphia is notorious for its littering problem but a small group of students at Carver are working to beautify their school.
Littering and illegal dumping is more than just an environmental or public safety issue, it also contributes to the defiling of aesthetics which can negatively affect the mental state of students trying to go to school.
According to researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, “residents of areas that had either the greening or trash removal projects reported a decrease in feelings of depression by about 40 percent. In neighborhoods below the poverty line, the drop was 70 percent.”
Students at Carver, a high school in Philadelphia, are impacted by this crisis. Students who take public transportation or even walk home are going to be inevitably bombarded with litter that resides in the streets and sidewalks. This leads to students being very uncomfortable or even ashamed in their own city.
Malcolm Bullock, a student at Carver, is disgusted by the amount of trash and disappointed in his community.
“Wow, this is really our city,” Bullock said.
Bullock believes more people should step up to beautify the city, and he believes it starts at Carver.
“We need more students to promote awareness on the state of the environment and maybe consider joining something like gardening to contribute to a positive look," Bullock said.
Bullock has participated in city clean ups and further emphasizes the importance of “getting involved”.
Not only are students affected but staff members as well. Ms. Jordan, a staff member at Carver, states that she knows it affects students because it affects her as well.
“Why don't they clean up their environment, it makes you feel better, it makes you feel good about your neighborhood,” Jordan said.
Ms. Jordan is also the leader of the gardening club at Carver where they take care of the garden and grow different seeds and foods as a community. It all started in her backyard at home and she began doing her own research and brought it to Carver to teach her community how to grow.
Jordan also emphasizes the fact that you do not have to have any talent to learn to grow and better your community; it's all about passion and dedication.
“It's not about you having a green thumb, it's about educating yourself," Jordan said.
Simply having a little “passion” and “getting involved” can go a long way.
Participating in community clean ups plays a “vital role in maintaining the health and beauty of our city”, but if you don't want to get your hands dirty with filthy trash you could work to beautify by joining your local gardening club at Carver.