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Fourth Place – Gemma d’Eustachio (Montgomery Blair High School) Gemma d’Eustachio is currently a junior at Montgomery Blair High School, and this is the second year that she has entered the FFC essay contest. She runs cross country and track and is a member of Model UN and Woman's advocacy club. Outside of school,Gemma reports for a local newspaper on community and school events. She also mentors a fourth grade student from Pinecrest Elementary school. Her hobbies include baking cupcakes, shopping, and of course, being a steward of the environment! Essay Abstract: Every religion preaches that one must value the earth, because it provides us with life and beauty. Adam and Eve were set in the Garden of Eden by god in order to protect and cherish the wonders of nature around them1. In Judaism, Moses and his disciples judge the worthiness of an area based on the fertility of the land. When Moses sends spies out to find a good place for his people to settle, one of his spies comes back with a bunch of luscious grapes and tells Moses, “We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey2”. This land is where Moses and his followers ultimately settle, because of the richness of the earth. The bible, the Torah and the Qur’an all cherish the environment and instruct the people to be good stewards of the environment that God has created for us. One way to do this is to start a vegetarian program focused at local schools, because becoming vegetarian reduces land waste, minimizes air pollution, and stops contamination of our drinking water. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam all teach that to be a true steward of the environment, one must help, not destroy nature in order to maintain the earth’s balance, as well as work towards saving and protecting the environment in ways such as becoming vegetarian and encouraging others to do the same.
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