“A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people. ”

― Franklin D. Roosevelt

According to Overflow Data, 90.1% of households in Nassau County have some sort of computer. Then why are LBHS students continuing to carry books back and forth to school? Why do I take dozens of sheets of homework home every week? Why do I have textbooks under my bed? Why are paper scantrons still a thing?!

According to “Tablets in Schools: Saving Money and Trees,” the average high school uses 74 trees a year, spends between $30,000 and $50,000 a year on paper and in total uses an average of 5,955,000 sheets per year. There aren’t even 74 trees in Long Beach.

Transferring paper based learning to computer based learning should be a top priority, and more teachers should try it. I receive overwhelming amounts of paper for one time use in my classes while a brand new Chromebook is sitting, useless, in the bottom of my bag.

Using Chromebooks are a great way to save the environment, make school more convenient for students and teachers alike, save the school thousands of dollars per year, and give the school a good image. The days of six page, single sided answer key packets should be over.

Don’t do your homework on paper! One sheet of paper saved is another step towards helping a damaged environment. It’ll save money for our school, and make life easier for teachers and students alike.