J1 Reporter Sophia Losole

When people walk into the Marian lunchroom, their eyes immediately go to the four large color coded bins. Those bins have been at Marian for about three years. But it wasn’t always like this.

Marian’s sustainability looked a lot different before COVID-19 hit. “Back then, you could compost everything,” said Mrs. Aleecia Cotton, the head of Marian’s Sustainability Club. This club was started by Dr. Sharon Genoways and was active. Almost everything used to be composted. Now, students must separate all of their trash. This is because there was a shortage of the supplies Marian used to have and they became way too expensive. 

In response to this, when Marian returned from online learning, everything in the lunchroom turned plastic. “It started back to square one,” Cotton said. By the Fall of 2020, they went from these huge, just compost bins, to little ones. As students see in the lunchroom today there is not just one bin, there’s four! These four bins are an effective way to give back to the community.

Sustainability Board member, junior Lauren Hicks said, “I joined the Sustainability Club my freshman year because I thought it would be a good way to create a positive impact on our planet and on our future.”

This club has helped Hicks be more sustainable in her shopping choices, and she encourages others to join. Even though it may seem gross, it is not difficult to help out during lunch. 

“As a Catholic school, we should be doing our part. It is good daily practice to think of others and take a couple seconds to put some effort into what you are using,” Cotton said. This can relate to the Catholic Social Teaching of “Care for God’s Creation.”

Omaha provides other ways that people can be more sustainable too, not just in school. People can use the orange bin in their house and sign up for Hillside Solutions services to make an impact.

For more information on Hillside Solutions, visit: https://www.hillside.solutions/