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Local Students Think Earth Friendly All Year Round

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Ms. Linda Whitman, the facilitator for Earth Force at St. Anthony School says, “We have had the Green Fiber dumpster and recycling program for about two and a half years. Unlike other paper recycling programs, we can accept any type of paper”. The paper is collected at a green dumpster located near the corner of Joe Hermann Drive and Rhode Island Avenue. All kinds of paper and cardboard, anything made of paper that is not soiled with food, is collected and recycled. The shredded material is used for insulation. Earth Force, is the name of the student organization that runs the
program and benefits from the funds generated from the paper recycling program. Earth Force uses the fundsto finance and maintain our native habitat gardens and pond. The native habitat program includes native plants to help feed local wildlife and the pond creates a water source for the wildlife as well as is used for educational purposes. The funds are also used for the support of endangered animals, for example Adopt-a-Florida Panther at Nature’s Classroom. Funds have
also financed educational field trips. Earth Force, a national program, has been at St. Anthony School since 2000. In addition to recycling paper from the community, the group helps the school recycle aluminum, plastic, and glass. We encourage others to recycle and provide information on what items can be recycled. The group is in charge of recycling each year for the Rattlesnake Festival and Gopher Races.Earth Force has participated in community service by cleaning up litter and planting trees at Colt Creek State Park. Also the group has assisted in eradicating hydrilla, an invasive water plant at Crystal Springs Preserve. Earth Force has also participated at the Coastal CleanUp in the fall and the Great American Clean Up in the spring.