Here is the long waited for email that I sent to both Representative Leonard Boswell and Senator Tom Harkin! Which is the reason why I put in ( and )'s because I did send it to both of them. I also put ( and ) around my personal information. Enjoy the letter! I think that I did well. : ) I hope that I get a response from both the Representative and the Senator!
(My home address)
Des Moines, Iowa (Zip code)
Home Phone Number: (number)
Email: (Email, if you have any questions, I might give you my Email, just leave a comment with the question on it and if I feel like I need to Email you, I will)
The Honorable (Leonard Boswell or Tom Harkin)
(Address of office building in DC)
United States (House of Representatives or Senate)
Washington DC, (20515 or 20510)
Dear (Representative or Senator):
The first idea stated in the Constitution is “We the People.” That idea is interpreted in many ways. One way is that people should have the right to be involved in what the government does. As a 13-year-old government class student in Iowa, I am using this right along with the freedom of speech to express my concerns and ideas about today’s world. My topic of concern is based on recycling and a National Bottle Bill.
I created Mission 001: Broaden Bottle Redemption, which is what my project is called. Mission 001 was a product of a government class project meant to get the students directly involved with public policy. The purpose of Mission 001 is to help and lobby to get a National Bottle Bill passed. As part of the project, I must contact representatives from our state to express our concerns and ideas on how to help the community. While researching, I found a petition already made on the Care 2 Petition Site that was exactly what my project was about. I quickly signed it and started lobbying for more signatures.
As I learned from my textbook, lobbyists are an important part of the government because they provide a great deal of information regarding their topic to receive support on their views and ideas. As a lobbyist, I shall do the same. While researching, I found a website dedicated to the National Bottle Bill, and something surprised me. The thing that surprised me was a widget that was continually counting the number of water bottles being wasted. The number was rapidly growing and growing! On the other hand, alternatives can be put into action to help slow done the number of bottles wasted. One alternative is getting a National Bottle Bill passed.
A National Bottle Bill will allow all beverage containers except raw cider and dairy products to be redeemed for a certain redemption price. Some states do have such bottle bills, including Oregon, Maine and Connecticut. The statistics on how the bottle bills have helped these states should not be ignored because they show that a greater number of recycling happens in those states and it has helped the communities by creating jobs and by reducing litter. Other benefits of bottle bills are that they promote recycling, receive public support, provides incentives for recycling, target all beverage containers, complement curbside recycling, create more opportunities for recycling, and encourages producer and consumer responsibility. All of these benefits are important to consider, especially the benefit of creating jobs, which is what America needs in this time of an economic crisis. I also learned that 40 to 60% of all litter is composed of beverage containers, and a bottle bill can help reduce that amount. By passing a National Bottle Bill, it will be a step in the right direction for America and it will help create a healthier world for future generations.
To learn more about Mission 001: Broaden Bottle Redemption, please see my blog dedicated to my project at http://mission001broadenbottleredemption.blogspot.com/. My blog provides information on the progress of my project. Also, the petition that I referred to is at http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/support-a-national-bottle-bill. So far, I have lobbied for 9 signatures and I hope that I can get more in the near future. I would appreciate support on a National Bottle Bill from you by learning more about it or maybe introducing it again to the Senate. Thank you for taking the time to listen to me and to learn about Mission 001.
Sincerely,
Amy DeHaven
Central Academy
Des Moines Public Schools
Thanks!
Sign the Petition! :D
No comments:
Post a Comment