Helping the environment here on campus is easy as one, two, three, but only if you know what to do.

“We have a recycling program here at PAC?” asked Brian Gallegos, a sophomore Music major.

Recycling bins for paper are in most of the classrooms and offices around campus, but finding them can be a challenge. The bins are grey with small white writing that many students do not pay attention to. This writing points out that the bins are for recycling paper, such as cardboard, office paper and newspaper.

“[The bins] are hard to spot. I just thought they were regular trashcans,” said Thomas Donaubauer, a sophomore Kinesiology major. Often, trash is thrown into the recycling bins, which ruins the recyclable paper in the bin.

Robert Alvarado, a freshman General Education major, said, “They really should do something about those recycling bins. Maybe a different color, like green or red, would let it stand out more.”

If students were to get involved, Palo Alto could have a much bigger and more effective recycling program. Currently, Palo Alto only collects and recycles paper. No program is in place for plastic or aluminum. The college has grown at a dramatic pace, and having an expanded program would help the environment. If more students were to lend a hand, perhaps by re-activating the Earth Club, Palo Alto could possibly recycle aluminum and plastic, too.

According to information from San Antonio College’s student paper, “The Ranger,” Palo Alto averages about two tons of recycled paper a month, earning $15 a ton from Abitibi-Consolidated Inc., the company that buys recycled paper from the entire Alamo Community College District. The school then uses this money to fund book scholarships at the on-campus bookstore. Last summer, 15 students received book scholarships. If the college were to have a bigger program, then it might be possible to offer more scholarships.

Even though there is not much of a recycling program here at Palo Alto, you can still do your part at home. The City of San Antonio's recycling website states that “San Antonio [and the surrounding areas} have the largest curbside collection program in the state of Texas.” This program recycles plastics, paper, metal cans, and glass bottles and jars of all colors. You may request a free home recycling bin on this site.

You can also do a lot more to help the environment besides recycling. The Whole Foods' website provides a list of tips, such as planting a tree, turning off lights and electronics, carpooling and using mass transit, and replacing regular bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. The "Inconvenient Truth" website also provides a “Ten Things to Do” list that will help you combat global warming.

April 22, 2007, was the 37th anniversary of Earth Day. See what you can do to reduce, reuse and recycle in the next 12 months. For information on how to reinstate the Earth Club, contact Student Activities at (210) 921-5290 or go by Room 123 in the Student Center.