A real desire to make the world a cleaner, healthier and altogether better place is what motivates Huntington High School environmental club members as they go about their work, even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The club strives to improve the school, community and global environments with a focus on sustainability and Earth-friendly advocacy.
The organization’s executive board consists of Carrie Kilgour (president), Tess Stanley (vice president), Laurel Bonn (treasurer), McKenna Buffa (recording secretary), Sarah Krisch (corresponding secretary), Nadeera Ali (historian), Nina Varvatsas (administrative assistant), Jasjeet Kaur (social media coordinator) and fundraising coordinators Lauren Holly, Rachel Deegan and Sophia Segal. Science teacher Deborah Beck is the group’s faculty advisor.
Teacher Deborah Beck is the environmental club's faculty advisor
“The club is pretty amazing since we learn about different environmental issues during every meeting,” Ms. Kaur said. “It’s a great opportunity to learn about current issues if you aren’t aware of them and the group itself is very welcoming. I personally like the club because there’s always an opportunity to learn more and explore different ways to make little changes in your lifestyle, which ultimately have a positive impact on the environment.”
Past club events have included Earth Day parties, school recycling initiatives, garden clean-ups and a Gardening Day celebration, community clean-ups and a Safe Halloween program
“The club plans on maintaining the pond in the courtyard during the winter and preparing it for the spring,” Ms. Ali said. “In the spring we hope to add some life to it, such as fish and volunteers from the club will help maintain it. We are a very eager group of students who have a passion for the environment. During our meetings we listen to a presentation by one of the officers and then have a discussion about the topic. The discussions are always engaging, informative and helpful.”
The club meets at 3:30 p.m. on the last Friday of each month. “Our goal is to inform people about sustainability, climate change and how to contribute toward addressing the issue,” Ms. Ali said. “The club believes that by doing small things like reduce, reuse, recycle and passing along information, we could be part of a bigger change. The environmental club encourages students, staff and the people in our community to educate themselves about environmental topics.”
Future plans include additional garden and community clean-up activities, restoration of the courtyard pond and another Gardening Day.
“Environmental club membership is a very fun, interesting and great way to learn about environmental topics and issues that range from wildfires to fast fashion,” Ms. Bonn said. “As an officer of the club, I recently had to create a project on any environmental issue that I wanted and present it to the club. I chose to research the threats coral reefs are enduring and what we can do to help. Overall, this club is one of my favorites and I am so glad I joined my freshman year.”
The organization has a catchy motto: “Every small action counts. Let’s protect the environment together!”
Interested in getting involved? The club’s Google Classroom meeting code is h5rfmyn. Text its Remind code of @hhsenv19 to 81010.