CHICAGO-Illinois – Government officials and environmentalists may get some ideas from this 5th grade female of Butterfield Elementary District 44 of Lombard, USA who has an epiphany to help the environment.
Seeing files of disposable trays made of Styrofoam thrown into the school trash, Amber Harris thought of doing something on her own by suggesting to the school board that instead of using Styrofoam for lunch why not try plastic trays that can be washed and re-used again.
The 5th grader who wanted to be a veterinarian someday made some research and learned later that Styrofoam is a brand name for a material called polystyrene made of non-renewable resources and “we’re just throwing it out and it’s ending in our landfills,” she said.
She said the material, in fact, makes up roughly 25 percent of landfills, and that’s when it doesn’t end up floating in oceans, washed up along beaches or strewn about parks and forests.
The district administrators are taking Amber’s pitch seriously.
While the suggestion may not be too hard to accept as it is only a matter of changing the practice of following the cycle of changing damaging material to non-damaging but reusable one, the problem lies on the manufacturers of this harmful Styrofoam.
If the 5th grader’s suggestion will be given favorable action, we only expect opposition and lobbyists opposing the use of reusable trays instead of Styrofoam.
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I am not concerned if the bill seeking the implementation of the mandatory Reserved Officers Training Corps (ROTC) program in public and private senior high school will not pass the 17th Congress, although the bill was certified as urgent by President Duterte.
I do not have a senior high school student now to worry about, unlike some parents and students who might oppose the revival of the training course which I am also not in favor to be implemented.
While it may be a good reason for the government to have more trained men to defend the country against aggressors, my point here, as a parent, is the additional financial burden on my part and endangering the health of my son on field training. This is not to mention the reports of male and female trainees being physically abused by their superior officers.
In the country where I am now, every hour in a day on television channels show advertisement calling for applicants to join the military, of course with pay.
Let our bright boys in Congress decide whether to pass or not the pending ROTC bill as a compulsory requirement.
The ball may now in their court but for sure let’s expect the opposing team to fight back so as not to give them chance to score the winning point.
While our military and police also issue announcements through media of men and women who want to join the military, many chose not to join because of low pay which some applicants believe is not commensurate to the hardship they experience while on training.
I have a suggestion. The Comelec should include as among the qualifications for those who want to run for public office a training in the military or police so they can experience the discipline in that institution.
For sure by doing so, this will minimize corruption in the government that even President Duterte admitted he can’t stop. In the military, would-be-candidates for public office would be disciplined which to some politicians is a forgotten word.
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After my scheduled biometrics appointment at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on July 5 that took me just 10 minutes to undergo, I am now waiting for another few more days to be notified again whether the USCIS will grant my request to return to the Philippines and stay there for 300 days (10 months) as I have some business transactions to attend to, as well as Jin Lorenz’ schooling in Ateneo.
Although I am now a permanent resident here and allowed to leave and re-enter the US multiple times as long as I will not stay outside the US for one year or more, I have no choice but just say yes so as not to lose my permanent residency status.
Noong araw, hirap na hirap akong makapunta ng Amerika, ngayon paano naman makabalik ng Pinas!
