The school is working to restart the recycling initiative that was first started in 2019 and is being continued by Environmental Science teacher Dr. Baxendale and the Sustainability Club by making sure misconceptions are eliminated and waste is properly disposed of.
“A lot of my job is to not only inform people and eliminate misconceptions,” Baxendale said. “But also to help people make informed faith-based decisions. How can we be better stewards?”
The program first got shut down during COVID because the waste could be biohazards, so the recycling was dumped in with the trash. The program has not restarted despite the school paying for the recycling service. Now, working with the Sustainability Club, Baxendale has taken the role upon herself to start the club back up.
Caring for our Common Home is a Jesuit Apostolic Preference that the school aims to practice throughout the school. Baxendale believes that the earth can be our common home and that to care for it, we can restart our recycling program.
“Something as small as just picking up around you can take care of our common home,” Baxendale said. “Because whatever we throw away is gonna end up somewhere else.”
The school has tried in the past to be more environmentally friendly by having solar panels over the main entrance on the Ballas side, but the power was going to Spartan Hall where nobody is. They also tried a composting initiative where the cafeteria manager would toss the food into her yard to compost.
Baxendale is eliminating misconceptions by using signage at the end of each hallway and around recycling bins to communicate what can and cannot be recycled. Student leaders from the environmental science and global scholars clubs are also helping educate other students on the proper sorting of recycling.
“It’s a great way to raise awareness for problems that might fly over people’s heads in their daily life,” Member of the Sustainability Club Sophomore, Hank Anderson said. “I hope we can gain more members and make a little bit of a difference in the students’ lives.”
This mission is still ongoing and Baxendale wants us all to be better stewards of creations and to do our part.
“We’re at a Jesuit Catholic school,” Baxendale said. “Let’s do what we’re supposed to do and take care of creation.
