Students filed into the Greenburgh Town Board meeting Wednesday night to petition for four recycling bins to be placed in the Theodore D. Young Community Center. The students, from grades three through eight in Greenburgh Central 7 School District, are part of Xposure — an after-school program dedicated to teaching children from lower-income areas about science, technology, nutrition, finance and civic activities.
Xposure Executive Director Ray Thomas said the resolution, which was passed unanimously by the town board, is part of an Xposure business venture called Young Entrepreneurs Saving Our Planet (YESOP).
"They're going to inherit what we have. Right now, being a responsible adult is about helping them develop strategies to save the things happening to our planet," Thomas said.
Four students, whose heads barely poked over the podium, presented their findings to the town board, which included a short skit on video and a presentation about the need for recycling. R.J. Bailey student Corey Neil, 11, said the students were shocked to find out that there were only two available recycling bins at the community center and that they weren't being used properly.
Eleven-year-old Jameiya Valentine, also a Bailey student, hopes the presence of more recycling bins will encourage others to keep Greenburgh — and the planet — green.
"If our town starts to recycle, maybe other towns will, too," Valentine said.
YESOP's next step in its program is providing the community with environmentally-friendly household products like paper towels, toilet paper and cleaning products, Thomas said. The students plan to sell the recycled products back to the community at a more affordable price than most stores, while keeping a portion of the profits to invest for their future.
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