I happened to be walking a school today just as the bell rang - back to class after lunch. Despite the fact that it was raining, some students (aged 11-14 I would guess) were eating outside in the yard.When the bell rang, the students got up but their lunch garbage stayed put.
I'll tell you why I was particularly disappointed to see this: I was under the impression that the younger generation took a very active interest in environmental issues. For some reason, I was holding onto this image of children communing with nature, of being closer to the natural world.
Who do they think is going clean up this mess? I have a relative who works as a janitor in a public school, and she barely has time to clean the washrooms at one school before she's off to the next one. In my district, schools are not well-equipped to maintain themselves as far as personnel is concerned.
This is serious stuff. This is the health and well-being of our planet. I guess we all need to set a better, louder example for the young people around here. After all, they'll still be here when we're gone.