Student Contributor -E. Holmes
Keyes Fibre is a green business located in Wenatchee, Washington. They are committed to use all recycled materials in order to better the environment. Keyes Fibre produces the trays for packaging different kinds of fruit, eggs, and beverages.
Keyes Fibre’s mission is to help preserve forests, save energy, and prevent thousands of tons of material being landfilled. Keyes Fibre saves about 4,100 kilowatt hours of energy for every ton of recycled paper we process instead of virgin pulp. That equates to enough energy to heat and power 15,000 homes per year. Also, at Keyes Fibre, for each ton of recycle material they use, it saves 3 cubic yards of landfill space. In one year, that equals 93,000 cubic yards, equivalent to a 100’ x 100’ building that’s over 25 stories tall. To emphasize the difference of what Keyes Fibre has offered to the community, they have reduced the community’s overall energy consumption by 20% in the last three years. These are only a few facts on how Keyes Fibre is helping our planet. This company has become a huge resource in the community and will continue to make a difference.
From a teacher’s perspective, a good idea would be to start students by learning about the importance of recycling through mentor texts, sources, and the consequences of not recycling. From starting with a recycle bin in the classroom to then move into a grade-wide or school-wide recycling center. students will soon become passionate and want to make a difference. Teachers can partner with this organization by scheduling a field trip to see the process of starting with recycled materials all the way to seeing the finished product of a tray getting ready to be shipped out. Students can then donate everything the school has recycled to Keyes Fibre and watch the process of their materials being created into something useful again. Keyes Fibre allows the students see all machinery while wearing ear plugs and safety glasses. This is a neat experience for students to see and become passionate about caring for our planet.
