Going Greener
Just like Kermit the frog said, it’s not easy being green. But just because it’s not easy doesn’t mean that it isn’t a worthwhile goal.
The purpose of the Green Team started out well enough—to encourage reuse and recycling and to play our small part in saving the planet. That purpose, however, somehow got lost in piles of paper and plastic, and saving the planet turned into mostly wasting time.
In past years, the Green Team was not really been much of an organized club, according to senior Connor Rutelonis. “Last year, Green Team was a bunch of kids goofing around, kind of what you did if you didn’t want to go to L2 [study hall],” said Rutelonis.
However, this year is shaping up to be more than a get-out- of-L2- free pass. One major difference came when the club acquired a new sponsor, Mr. Fred Baker. With a new sponsor came a new perspective on purpose. “I think it’s fabulous that we have a Green Team,” said Mr. Baker. “We’ve got a lot of enthusiasm and a lot more guys interested in it [this year].”
A new group of seniors, like Josh Worley, also brought a new set of goals. “We had the idea for getting bins for cans, bottles, and such. Mainly we just started trying to get everyone access to recycle bins and go from there; this was kind of our starting point,” said Worley.
The trash bins in the cafeteria are filled with various items that can and cannot be recycled such as styrofoam plates, bottles, cans, and food waste. All of these items currently stay in one giant pile. “We throw away a ton of stuff away each day, probably half which is recyclable material,” said senior Brantley Clark.
Even after putting the new bins for paper, bottles, and cans in the cafeteria, kids still are not recycling things properly or at all. The year has just started, though, and Clark still believes that we can solve this recycling issue.
“I just hope that by the end of the year we can see not as much recyclable material just thrown away,” said Clark.
The students also acknowledge that it’s nice to have support from a new sponsor to help with the cause. “Now that Mr. Baker is in charge, it’s more work,” said Rutelonis. “We work before school, afterschool, and sometimes during lunch. We get a ton more stuff done now.”
That extra effort is turning into a renewed energy and focus for renewable resources that club members hope will catch on with people outside the club.
For his part as the club’s sponsor, Mr. Baker also hopes that with this newly found enthusiasm, the Green Team can become a self-lead and self-motivated group. “My vision of how any club should work is that the students need to own it,” said Mr. Baker. “I’m just here to make sure we kind of stay on track.”
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