Judges' Award Essay: 15-19 Age Group

"I Teach My Family to Help the Earth"

Erika Carrazco
Atlanta Area School for the Deaf
Clarkston, GA

I help Earth's environment because I want to care for the beautiful Earth. We can set goals for our environment; together we can help Earth, keep it beautiful, and care for Earth. We can set goals and I know we can care for the Earth and keep it nice. My goal for my family is to recycle at home.

People throw away a lot of plastic in the garbage. The plastic then goes in landfills that become very large. I don't want that to happen. My brother and sister always throw plastic in the garbage. I don't want to throw plastic in the garbage; that is not recycling. I want to recycle plastic. We can recycle plastic, paper, aluminum, and oil. I teach my brother and sister. My brother starts to throw things in the garbage can, but I say, "Don't throw Coke cans in the garbage, recycle them." My sister drinks juice from plastic bottles. She throws bottles in the garbage can. I say, "Don't throw juice bottles in the garbage can, use the recycling can." My brother, sister, and I need to help Earth's environment. Later other new goods are made with recycled plastic. My family will buy recycled plastic things like toys, jewelry, furniture, and blankets.

Most people throw old technology in landfills. The more old technology people throw in, the larger the landfills get. The metals from technology like TVs, games, cell phones, and computers go into the soil. Then poison spreads in the land. Birds and people can get sick. My brother's CD was thrown in the garbage. I saw it in the garbage. I got it. I gave it to my dad.

"Whose CD?" said my dad?

"Oh, my brother's CD," I said.

My dad called, "Son, come talk to me! Why did you throw this CD in the garbage?"

"Oh, because it does not work," said my brother.

"Don't throw it away. Let's bring it to a shop that can fix technology," said my dad.

My brother and I think that's cool. I like it that technology can be fixed. My dad will bring his CD to the shop to be fixed. My dad went to work in Texas and went to a shop that can fix technology. My dad's friend fixed the CD. "All right. Thank you!" said Dad.

Four weeks later, my dad came home and hugged everyone. Dad asked, "Where's my son?"

"Oh, my brother is out playing soccer with his friends," I said.

When my brother got back home my dad gave the CD to him. "The CD works now," said my brother.
I felt so great that my dad's good friend fixed the CD.

Two years later, my dad gave a cell phone to my brother. One week later, my brother walked into the restroom and put his cell phone on the sink near the toilet. Then it happened

"Oh, no!" my brother said. "My cell phone fell in the toilet. It does not work."

"What happened?" I asked. I think maybe my dad will get mad! My brother was panicked! I told my brother not to worry.

Three weeks later, my dad was back home. My dad said, "What happened to your phone?"

"He went to the restroom one morning and then his cell phone fell in the toilet," I said.

My dad said, "Oh, no! But don't worry, I will go back to Texas tomorrow."

Three weeks later, my dad was back home with new a cell phone. My dad gave the cell phone to my brother. My dad had traded the broken phone for a new phone. The broken phone was recycled. The cell phone was not put in a landfill.

I can help the environment. I want to recycle, and I want fewer things in landfills. We need to recycle paper, plastic, and technology. We help the environment by recycling things. I teach my family to recycle. I will help the environment and care for Earth. I will help solve Earth's problems. We need to help plants, animals, land, and lakes. I want the beautiful Earth to last a long time.