Katherine Bailey
Grade 12
Nazareth Academy
May 2009 Go Green Student of the Month

Katie Bailey isn't afraid of change- she knows that changing our habits today is the difference it will take to save our natural resources!  That's why, as founder of the Nazareth Academy Environment Club, she's made recycling a priority among her classmates and teachers.  Her renewable resource-recycling program is taking plastic products out of the Nazareth waste stream, saving landfill space and resources. But Katie knows there's more to be done- that's why she participates annually in the Coastal Clean Up of Greece Ponds and has been recognized as an Eco-ambassador to Washington D.C. Earth Summit in 2008.  Here is Katie's GoGreen philosophy:

I believe that the future of our beautiful and fragile earth lies in the choices and actions of the entire global community. We all have a responsibility to live sustainably. Living environmentally friendly is no longer a choice or option; rather, it is a duty. I believe that humankind now stands on a precipice that will determine the course of our future.

More than ever, going green is taking the world by storm- it is a philosophy that has spurred itself into a relentless wave that is attracting many people along the way.

When I founded the Nazareth Academy Environmental Club in 2007, I wanted to raise awareness on how anyone could make simple changes to go green. Our club started by raising money through bake sales, and our first endeavor was a school-wide vote on what animal to adopt from the Seneca Park Zoo. Most recently, we have initiated a new recycling program for plastic bottles and ink cartridges. I have also introduced the idea of selling “eco-envelopes,” which are envelopes made from magazine pages. We are now working to install green walls on the outside of the school building. Outside of school, I have participated in several coastal clean-ups and have helped pick up over 600 pounds of litter. I have also written petitions on various environmental issues such as drilling for oil in the Florida Everglades. Last year I was fortunate to have been chosen to be an eco-ambassador for the Forecast Earth Summit which was hosted by The Weather Channel, and I was able to make a public service announcement on climate change. I hope that in a future career as an environmentalist and marine biologist I can help raise awareness on how everyone can lower their carbon foot print.

The world is a beautiful place, and we can keep it that way if we take care of Mother Nature by living a more sustainable life. I believe that we can save the earth if we look to the future to see what is really at stake.

-Katherine Bailey