Some background information: This past summer, I worked at a camp for kids ages 4-14 at Brookfield Zoo in Brookfield, IL. The following is a letter to the campers about sustainability.
Hey Zoo Campers!
You know how the zoo is a conservation organization? I know you’ve heard that word before. It’s why we have those bright blue garbage cans to remind people to recycle, and why we encourage people to buy from organizations that conserve our animals’ natural habitats. Remember that day we played the water conservation game outside Tropic World? That reminded you of ways you can save water right in your own home.
My university cares about conservation too, as well as sustainability. Sustainability means using resources like water and electricity so we can help ourselves, but also making sure that resources will be there for you and your kids when you grow up. When you go away to college, instead of living with your parents, you live in a dorm with other students. One sustainability project the university does has to do with these dorms. Every year in March, we have something called the Eco-Olympics, which is a competition between the dorms to see which one can lower their energy used the most compared to how much energy they used in February. So, we try to turn off lights when we’re not using them, unplug our laptops, and take shorter showers. I’ll be honest, though – I didn’t really change my actions too much, and neither did a lot of other people. We ended up in 6th place out of 13 dorms. I suppose it could have been worse, but it definitely could have been a lot better.
So I have a challenge for all of you! Do you think you could beat the grownups in your own Eco-Olympics? Ask your teacher, your parents, or whoever else to help you save energy! Remember, just like at camp, everyone has to work together to accomplish a goal.
Your Counselor,
-Alia