Maggie Staudenmaier

7/17/19

College Essay

Describe a problem you've solved or a problem you'd like to solve. It can be an intellectual
challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma-anything that is of personal importance, no
matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to
identify a solution.

A problem that I have attempted to solve and would like to in the future is the issue of
overfilling landfills and trash incinerator pollution. The solution I have come up with for these
problems is curbside composting. I believe that composting is a great solution to the excess food
waste that is thrown away and fills up landfills. I have done a lot of research and work on
bringing curbside composting to Baltimore City because I think it could be very effective in
reducing the amount of trash in landfills and preventing air pollution from harmful trash
incinerators. There have been many other cities that have implemented similar programs to the
one I was working on that have had great success.

During my 11th grade school year I worked as a page for the Baltimore City Council. As
a part of the internship I had to do an advocacy project on a topic I was passionate about. When I
was in third grade I spent the year learning about recycling and composting and my family
composts at home so it was a topic I was very familiar with. I knew that I wanted my project to
focus on pollution and the environment and I decided that increasing access to composting would
be a good solution to this problem. I did a lot of research and wrote a very detailed report on my
findings. I then turned the highlights of my paper into a presentation. Then on a Tuesday
morning in May I went in to City Hall to present my findings on bringing curbside composting to
Baltimore. I presented to the Mayor, Jack Young, and the City Council President, Brandon Scott.
Then I was given the opportunity to present it to the Judiciary and Legislative Investigations
Committee in front of most of the City Council. I had a part in influencing the City Council to
adopt a composting program in the City.

However there has been no legislation passed to bring composting to Baltimore City so
my work on this issue hasn’t solved it yet. I still would like to solve it and will continue working
on it and volunteering with groups that promote composting and the development of a curbside
composting program. Because of my research I know how impactful composting could be in
Baltimore and I think it is a solution to the problem of overfilling landfills and the pollution
caused by trash incinerators. Through my research I have found that curbside composting
programs have worked very well in other cities and could work well in Baltimore. I want to solve
these problems and I think the best way to do that is to implement a curbside composting and
education program.

I have had a part in solving the problems of overfilling landfills and harmful trash
incinerators but have not been successful in getting my solution implemented. I would like to see
this problem solved and will do as much as I can to make it happen. I will continue to advocate
for increased composting in the City and will work with groups that are trying to sol ve these
issues as well.