Business Letter by Emerson

Management Office
River Garden Villa
No. 7 Yuyang Road
Shunyi, Beijing 101300

Dear River Garden Management:

My name is Emerson Davis and I am currently a seventh grade student at ISB. This is my second year living in River Garden, and I am very concerned about the serious pollution problems in Beijing. I think that all of us in River Garden should do our part to address these problems by establishing a real recycling program in our compound.

As you know, the Air Quality Index (AQI) measures air pollution levels. An AQI over 100 is “unhealthy,” and a reading over 300 is “hazardous.” Beijing’s annual AQI has averaged around 150 since 2010. In January 2013, the AQI reached 1,000 and was more than 500 for at least 9 days; these are TOXIC levels!

According to Medium.com, on average, Beijing creates 18,400 tons of garbage every day. On Huffingtonpost.com, Peggy Liu says, “If trash is gold, China is very rich.”

Did you know that it takes plastic 100-400 years to break down in a landfill? If you think plastic takes a long time to decompose, think again. It can take up to 1 million years for a glass bottle to break down in a landfill; whereas, it can take as little as 30 days for the same bottle to be recycled and put onto a store shelf as a new piece of glass. Harvesting pulp for making paper is the primary cause of deforestation, and deforestation is a major cause of Beijing’s air pollution problem. Recycling paper instead of cutting down trees could make a big difference. Also, the energy saved by recycling one glass bottle will power a 100-watt light bulb for four hours. Conserving electricity will result in less air pollution from power plants and can help improve the air in Beijing.

By recycling more, we can make a difference. I believe that River Garden should provide each house with a plastic bin for recyclable items such as plastic bottles, aluminum cans, newspapers and cardboard. The trash collectors would pick up this bin separately and send it to a recycling facility. River Garden could keep any money earned from trading in the recyclables.

River Garden should also place recycle bins at the clubhouse that are labeled for specific materials such as plastic, glass and paper and other items, like batteries. River Garden should also give Small Jenny’s at the clubhouse and Steak & Eggs large recycle bins and require them to recycle as part of their leases. Small Jenny’s should also stop using plastic bags and ask people to bring their own reusable bags. Steak & Eggs should stop providing straws with the beverages it sells to save plastic.

If River Garden instituted this plan, it would be known as a leader in environmental protection in our area. Perhaps the other nearby compounds would follow River Garden’s lead and institute similar programs. If all the villa compounds around ISB begin real recycling programs, it will make a difference. Please email me at emerson.l.davis@gmail.com if you would like to discuss my ideas.

Sincerely,

 

Emerson L. Davis