Hey Plastic, This is What’s SUP!

by Gabby Smiley ‘20 and Jett Jenkins ‘20, Staff Writer & Executive Editor-in-Chief

This year our school implemented an initiative called “What’s SUP”, which stands for “what is

single use plastic.” This initiative is meant to help reduce our school’s carbon footprint through

limiting our use of single use plastics. The movement has been a major part of the discussion

around the school as it has changed many of the practices in the cafeteria. In order to further

understand this movement, we sat down with senior Gigi Jenkins, one of the co-presidents of the

Conservation Club and major advocate for environmentally-friendly habits in the school.

For our readers who may not be familiar with the What’s Sup campaign, what is it?

The What’s SUP campaign is a single use plastics initiative that is designed to help the Brebeuf

community with using less plastics in our everyday lives and integrating more sustainable efforts

in the community.

How was the What’s SUP Campaign get started?

I’m the president of The Conservation club, and I was approached by Miss Hennessy ,Miss

Eades, and Mr. Miller in starting this campaign.

Why did you implement the initiative this year?

We just thought it was time for the Brebeuf community to really understand the impact we have

on the environment. With all the rise in sustainable products in any industry, we thought this was

the perfect time to introduce Brebeuf to taking sustainable actions.

Some people have concerns about the increased cost of water bottles in the cafeteria due to

this initiative. What do you have to say about this?

Well, Mr. Miller and Mrs. Eades have a water bottle system where you can go to the science

office and they have free, reusable water bottles that any Brebeuf student can take so you don’t

need to buy water bottles at all, and therefore not spend any money.

When was this campaign officially formed?

The co-presidents of conservation club: Melanie Marshall ‘20, Jack Kovach ‘20, and I met with

some administrators and teachers over the summer, and from there we began to make a plan for

the upcoming school year.

What’s the future outlook for the What’s SUP campaign?

We plan to promote sustainable practices at Brebeuf for not just this year, but in the future as

well.