FHC’s impact on the environment: how can we all do better? Q&As: Josie Crosse

1. What are extra things you do to help the environment?

“Recently we’ve been doing a lot in AP Environmental Science with [learning about] our diets and how what we eat impacts the environment. So, I decided to go vegetarian. That’s a change I’ve made recently, but in general, I compost and recycle at my own house.”

2. Why do you feel like doing your part for the environment is important?

“Any little [action] helps. I feel like we think of [environmental issues] as such a big problem that doing small things won’t solve [the] issue, but if you’re making changes, choosing to be a part of the solution, [and] living more sustainably, it can [encourage] other people to do the same thing.”

3. What’s a pet peeve you have related to how others treat the environment?

“When people throw trash out [in places it doesn’t belong]. On Spring Lake, or any lake, people will be on their boats and just throw stuff out onto [the water], and that really frustrates me. It’s things like that that are frustrating because people aren’t able to open up their eyes to things besides themselves.”

4. What’s something you want to personally improve on in the future?

“There’s a lot of things I want to do better. I want to thrift more often. Even for Christmas this year, there [are] a lot of things where I’m like, ‘oh, I need this,’ or ‘I want this.’ [But], I don’t really need a lot of those things, so [I’d like] to try to find alternative solutions that are secondhand.”

5. What is your favorite thing about the earth?

“There’s a lot of things that are beautiful and I enjoy about [Earth]. I really like sunsets, and I take my dogs on a lot of hikes and walks, especially in the UP. My family goes camping [up there] every summer and it’s always a really good experience, so I like the earth for that.”