SF Grades of Green Team Meets with Politicians
The City of San Francisco recently introduced legislation to ban straws within the city. Although introduced, the bill is still under a 30 day review for public commentary. To support the legislation and to commemorate World Environment Day, the Grades of Green Team at Presidio Hill School met with Standing Mayor Mark Farrell and Supervisor Katy Tang, who co-wrote the legislation, regarding the bill. Their team had much to discuss with the Standing Mayor and Supervisor- notably, their disdain for single-use plastic utensils. Luckily, both Standing Mayor and Supervisor agreed with the students and supported their fierce passion in engaging the community in education about straws.
Why the hate on straws?
Straws and other single-use plastics have made headlines in recent years due to their harmful effects on animals both near and far. These animals are vital to maintaining healthy ecosystems which in turn maintains healthy beaches, food sources, and economies. The Grades of Green Team at Presidio Hill School learned about the unnecessary waste and damage created by this form of pollution and took action to reduce the effects of straws. The students signed petitions to share with politicians, set up meetings with the City on environmentally focused days, and created posters and flyers to educate the public.
Quotes from Team Members
Pedestrians passing by praised the students for fighting for what they believed in at a young age. The student activists shared their thoughts on the experience and had a blast discussing plastic bans with City Council members.
“We went to City Hall because we wanted to outlaw straws because they get stuck in animals’ body parts and then they can die. When humans eat animals, we get the straws in our bodies, too.”
-Taiga
“I really liked doing our rally around the block because it was fun to go around and show people what we wanted to say.”
– Lily
“It was fun and I was nervous because I’d never done it before. Now I feel happy and proud that I spoke to a politician.”
– Simone
Join Grades of Green!
Want to join an awesome network of schools fighting for the environment? Register with Grades of Green HERE!