By Nance Ebert, Contributing Writer
HUDSON – Having just wrapped up a 35-year career of teaching, Julie Snyder is passionate about environmental awareness and our carbon footprint.
She lives the life she preaches as composting, recycling and not using plastics is second nature to her, her family, and, after many years, some of her students.
Recycling and ‘Earth Council’
Snyder came to Hudson High School in 2000 and taught biology, among other classes, until her retirement this spring. Arriving in town, she brought with her an emphasis on recycling and sustainability that was prevalent at her previous school, Cambridge Ringe and Latin.
Snyder served as an advisor to the HHS Earth Council, eventually working with students to add paper recycling bins in school.
“I know the owners of Sterilite in Townsend,” she explained in a recent interview. “Steve Stone was able to give me the bins at cost. We got recycling bins for every classroom and every office.”
As time went by, Snyder and her students expanded the program, seeking new, large, square bins.
Her students participated in a fundraiser selling candy. Following that, then principal John Staplefeld ultimately purchased the rest of the bins needed.
Plastic bag bans and education
A few years ago, Snyder’s Earth Council group joined Green Hudson, a town community activist group that promotes environmental education, recycling, energy conservation and more.
“They were also helpful in getting a plastic bag ban in Hudson,” Snyder recalled. “My students helped distribute flyers at Walmart, the schools and area grocery stores. We helped promote the seriousness of this issue and sought out community participation.”
Snyder credits students at the nearby Lincoln Sudbury High School with paving the way, through youth activism and education efforts, for plastic bags to be banned in their towns.
Seeking to innovate in their own school community, Earth Council members recently worked on a commercial to show the use of viable alternatives to plastic bags.
“Some of the green bags provided are biodegradable, but the carbon footprint is not good,” Snyder explained. “Another great idea is to collect any plastic bags being used and bring them into the grocery store where they collect them. These are then used to make more clean bags.”
Passing environmentalism to a new generation
Snyder strongly believes that environmental awareness efforts work best when they’re driven from children, especially younger children.
“It creates this whole education thing and others [in the community] are more likely to respond with a behavior change when a child is asking them to participate,” said Snyder.
While she has formally retired from her career in education, she told the Community Advocate earlier this spring that she is anxious to find another faculty member who will keep her grassroots efforts alive and thriving in her now former school.
