Annie Wright Schools
AWS Blue Green Gators
He·ro
ˈhi(ə)rō/
noun
A person, who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble
qualities.
For today’s activity, the lovely people at Project Green Challenge gave us the
task of looking up and identifying one of our green team’s Eco-Heroes. Much to my
surprise, and my team’s, my mind didn’t instantly jump to an organizer of one of my
favorite charities or someone I’d read about in the local newspaper that week. No,
instead, I recalled a name that is loved and respected by everyone in the AWS
community.
Donald Sidman. Part time Chemistry teacher, part time superhero.
For those of you reading this that know Mr. Sidman; yes, I understand. And
no, I wouldn’t be surprised if your eyebrows were currently suspended in question.
Mr. Sidman? Hero? But he assigns tests the day after Halloween and doesn’t even wear
a cape! Yes, I can see how both of these facts might be a bit misleading. BUT, please,
allow me to make my case.
At the top of this article I have pasted the Webster’s dictionary definition of
the word “hero”. Let’s break this down into pieces so we can better understand the
definition, and maybe even connect it to the Eco-Hero I’ve identified above, shall
we?
“A person, who is admired or idealized for courage,”
Mr. Sidman constantly reminded us throughout the interview that the road to
being green wasn’t exactly a smooth one. When asked about the roadblocks he
encountered during his own journey, he gave these insightful comments:
“I had to get over the idea that the most important thing is not to make trouble for
others. If you’re going to be environmental, you are going to inconvenience others.
And sometimes you have to accept that there are instances in which people just
don’t care. You can argue yourself blue, throw out every logical argument onto the
table, and still come up empty handed. …It’s just the way things are.”
I speak for myself and the rest of the AWS Blue Green Gators when I say that
our team definitely “admires” and “idealizes” Mr. Sidman for being able to persevere
even when he finds people that are trying to work against him. Standing up for what
you believe isn’t something to be taken lightly, especially when you do it at the risk
of name-calling or teasing by others.
“…outstanding achievements…”
Mr. Sidman is something of a green superstar on our campus as well as his
own home. We got to talking about some of the sustainable practices he does that
he’s most proud of. Here’s a little snippet from that conversation:
“…I do a lot of walking. I walk to school. I walk to the grocery store. I walk to the
hardware store. I only use my automobile when it is completely and utterly
necessary. When I’m at the store I buy everything I can possibly buy in bulk, so I’m
always reusing containers. It’s part of my effort to live a low-waste lifestyle. I also
only buy meat that is raised sustainably, locally, and without the use of chemicals or
antibiotics…”
All of the things mentioned above are admirable qualities that anyone on the
Annie Wright Campus could do well to emulate. They aren’t exactly easy ways out,
either, and I’d go as far as to call Mr. Sidman’s effort to live a sustainable lifestyle
“outstanding”.
We went on to talk to him about what his long-term and short-term goals
were when it came to environmental protection. He has a lot of big ideas on how to
tweak the rules at this campus and homes everywhere to conform to a greener
society, but identified the ones stated below as his favorites.
“My short term goal is to reduce the trash I produce, both at home and at work. As a
member of the faculty green team, I’m also trying to convince AWS to transition
from throw away whiteboard markers to long lasting reusable ones. My long term
goal would be to create an automobile that runs completely on sustainable fuel.”
Not only is Mr. Sidman setting these high, admirable standards for himself,
but he’s also inspiring and encouraging others to do so! When we asked him to
create his very own “green challenge” for the students of AWS, he gave us this:
“I’d challenge the girls to try to produce no trash for an entire week.”
Based off the information presented above, it is crystal clear that Mr. Sidman
has achieved quite a bit when it comes to environmental protection, and he will
continue to do so as time goes on.
“…or noble qualities.”
When we asked Mr. Sidman what kind of guidance he’d give us on our green
journey, he responded with the following:
“The most important thing {about being green} is to always think about the future.
Not just your future, but also the future for everybody else. Remember that you’re
only one of 7 billion people on this earth. You have to think about not just your
resources but also everybody’s resources. You have to be aware of the fact that
every choice you make concerning the environment will have a long-term effect, and
take this into consideration as you deliberate. This is most definitely not an easy
thing to do.”
I speak for myself and the rest of the AWS Blue Green Gators when I say I
definitely “admire” and “idealize” Mr. Sidman’s ability to think, consider, and care
about events so far ahead in the future that we may not even live to see them. His
thoughtfulness can be described not only as extremely heartwarming, but also very
noble and selfless.
I think that based off all the arguments made in this article, we can concur
that Donald Sidman is most definitely deserving of the title “Eco Hero”. Though he
may not wear spandex and make local news on a weekly basis, he is thoughtful,
conscious, and passionate.
And the AWS Blue Green Gators and myself can safely say we believe these
are the qualities that make up a true hero.