At Monroe Middle School, seventh-grade students have been studying issues related to Consumption. Consumption is the study of how people use the world’s resources to make goods, products and services. Students examined topics such as fossil fuels, recycling and food waste. Students were then challenged to explain how these topics could relate to their lives as seventh graders in Monroe. They could choose from several options; such as writing a persuasive essay, designing a brochure, writing and producing a commercial using makerspace technology, and writing a letter to the Monroe Times. Each of these projects had a common thread - increasing the effect that 12- to 13-year-old students can have on our community.

By Devin Green

Jennie Dalton, Jeremy Green

In 7th grade students have a class on geography. It is important for students to learn about geography. It helps students know this information to help them with knowing it. It also prepares kids to be good global citizens as adults. Students need to be aware of the world not just Monroe. One unit we are studying is on consumption. Consumption is a big problem in our society. For example oil consumption is the pollution of gasses and other hazard vapors produced by cars busses motorcycles etc. Another example of consumption in America is human consumption, and this is the most serious consumption because human consumption is polluting our oceans. If we continue with this consumption by 2050 and if we keep up this rate of consumption there will be more plastic in the oceans than actual fish. 

Computer and internet use is also a big problem in consumption. For example levels of people with computers and the internet are continuing to expand in popularity. Throughout the United States we are using too much electricity which is bad for our environment. Another example of bad consumption is food consumption. Food consumption is the difference between rich and poor on how people can eat or starve: the developed and the non developed. It is the different sorts of classes Upper class, middle class, lower class, poverty or below in the united states. Producers are also playing a big role in consumption because if we didn’t have producers we wouldn’t have anything to consume because producers are the ones making the product that we consume.

It is very important to know this information because consumption is a big problem in our society, and it is time that we actually know what is really going on in our world. Another example of consumption is the high level of GDP. GDP stands for the level of economics in a place. The level of GDP in the United States is more than India and China’s GDP combined. In 2009 the United states was the 3rd most populated country in the world but India and China took over the 1st and 2nd most populated countries with over 1 billion in each country. It is very important that we learn about these terrible problems in consumption so we can make a difference.

By Benjamin Curran

Parents: Shari Curran and Rick Curran

In 7th grade geography we are studying about oil consumption, food consumption, computer and internet consumption, and recycling. We as citizens of this Earth need to know this because as a developed country according to the USDA we wasted 133 billion pounds of food in 2010. Also we waste 2.7 billion pounds per day in 2010. According to TCI what we use for Social Studies the average adult needs 2,700 calories a day but in the U.S. and many more countries adults consume 3,300 calories per day. 

An image shows that in Wisconsin each person wastes 25 pounds of food a day. There is enough food produced in the world to feed every person in the world but it gets sent to developed countries.

It is very easy to go green but why don’t people do it if it’s so easy? Recycling plays a key role in keeping the planet alive. In Green County you can recycle almost every recyclable thing but Latex paint, radioactive materials, medical waste, and explosives, firearms or ammunition. One Thing people could do to lessen the amount of trash that goes in landfills is try to recycle as much as possible. Also you could reuse glass bottles as cups or a flower pot.

Oil consumption is another big topic in the world. Forty-five percent of the oil Americans use is for gas. Americans are 5% of the Earth’s population but out of all of the oil pumped out of the ground each year we use 24% of it. In 1990 there was 5 million cars in use and by the year 2025 scientists say there could be 130 million cars in China. 

By Lindsay Leuzinger

Parents: Jill and Kevin Leuzinger

In seventh grade social studies we have been studying about world consumption. We have talked about how much we eat, buy, sell, etc. We talked about this because this is a big problem in our world. Some of our trash is starting to go into our oceans which is hurting more than just the ocean but the things that live in it. In our landfills they say that some of the trash stays there for over 100 years, and we have more trash coming in a every day.

We also talked about how much plastic we have. We have tons and tons of things made of plastic around us. Sometimes it’s hard to believe to hear about all of the things that we have in our house that are made of plastic. Things like, Shampoo bottles, detergent bottles, Trash bags, and kitchen ware, etc.

So now that we have learned some things that are problems in the world, here are some simple ways you can help the Earth. Cut back on garbage or waste. We have so much trash just in the U.S. Think about other countries that could have the same problem. China, Italy, Japan. These are developed countries that could possibly have the same problem that we do. Just try and not have so much garbage but if you do see if you can recycle some of them. Recycling helps a lot with the trash. Another way is to use cleaner resources. The electricity we use is use by fossil fuels. Fossil Fuels can cause air pollution which isn’t good for our air. So try using solar panels or something like that. Solar panels can use the wind or sun for electricity and not fossil fuels, and the sun or wind won’t cause air pollution.

By Parker Lenzendorf

Parents: David and Julie Lenzendorf

In this past month or so in 7th grade social studies we have been learning about consumption patterns in the United States. 

We have learned about recycling and how not everything can be recycled and the importance of recycling. In Monroe there is a wastewater treatment plant over by Honey Creek park where they treat sewage and purify it into something that can go into the waterways such as tap water and toilet water and things along those lines, all thought is does a lot of good some time the wastewater treatment plant can put pollution into Honey Creek. There has been a lot that has been done to help reduce pollution like that but unfortunately it is still a problem.

 In Wisconsin 26 tons of garbage per person are produced every year that is close to 3 times as many as some other states such as Massachusetts and Idaho. Some of the states that produce the most trash per person are California, Pennsylvania and Nevada with numbers bigger than 34 tons per person. Americans produce 10.5 million tons of PLASTIC every year but only about 1 - 2 percent of it is recycled this is a huge problem. Approximately 41 tons of garbage is in the oceans an overwhelming amount of that is plastic which can take years to decompose. Scientist estimate that soon there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish.

There is lots of things you can do in your home and in your community to help out the planet. 

You can try to remember to put recyclables in the the recycling bin. Something else you can do is go to your local park and pick up trash that is just lying on the ground. Instead of having the mindset that “I am just one person what can I possibly do?”  have the mindset yes you are only one person BUT you can do a lot of the planet. It’s really important that we look after the planet because it is our home.