The 3 R’s of going green: reduce, reuse, recycle.
However, according to Environmental Club sponsor Larry Hare, it’s actually the 4 R’s.
“I think it should be the first R — to remember,” he said. “So, I always tell my classes about the 4 R’s — to remember, to reduce, reuse and recycle. Because, wouldn’t you agree, that people want to remember but they often forget?”
The Environmental Club meets every Wednesday during TCB to collect the plastic recycling from around the school.
“Around school, we do our best to put recycling bins in every classroom,” Hare said. “I have asked every teacher if they want one, that way we can recycle plastic bottles. There’s also paper recycling in every room. I think that is a good way [to be green] at school.”
Environmental Club member sophomore Kamandeep Dhanoa said the club offers a unique community service experience.
“I like that we’re helping the environment,” she said. “We have the opportunity to get community service in school, and some kids aren’t able to get community service out of school.”
Environmental Club also picks up bottles in the stadium after home football games.
“[Stadium clean up is] not very popular — we want it to be more known,” Environmental Club co-president junior Amy McClain said. “We grab all the bottles and cans from the bleachers, and we put them in some of the baggies, and we recycle them. We go through recycling bins that were left out. Sometimes it’s raining, and it’s not that fun. It’s a little harder task.”
McClain said the club is paid for collecting the recycling.
“That money helps us get more cans and bins for recyclables,” she said. “We also use them to put the plastic lining that we use and gloves to use because sometimes the recycling is pretty nasty.”
Dhanoa said there are several factors that affect the quality of the recycling.
“Not everyone empties their bottles,” she said. “Some people throw their trash in there, so it can get kind of disgusting sometimes.”
She said due to the larger amount of members, the meetings take less time than in the past.
“This year we’ve gotten a lot of people involved, which doesn’t normally take as long,” McClain said. “We’ve also altered the procedure so it doesn’t take that long. My freshman year and my sophomore year, it took a good 30 minutes or an hour, but that was also because we didn’t have many people.”
To get involved with Environmental Club, come to one of the meetings.
“It’s really easy community service, and you’re also helping the environment, so it’s a great thing to do,” Dhanoa said. “Everyone should be involved. They always need extra hands.”