Photo credits Luke Nguyen
Environmental Week posters are spread throughout campus
Numerous clubs throughout the years have been dedicated to diminishing the environmental impact created on campus, yet changes seem to be scarce.
The Environmental Science and Sustainability Club has dedicated this week, Earth Week, to promoting green practices, making the school more sustainable, and hosting educational workshops. They’ve held multiple meetings and presentations throughout the years, but this year is the first time they’ve planned a full week of activities. Nathan Tan, a sophomore member of the club, sees a more engaging future for the group.
“I know Middle School has the Green Team, and they do a lot of really good work, but for the Upper School club, it’s all new,” Tan said. “This is kind of the first time we’ve done something like this. I know it’s a busy time of year, but we’re still trying to find more ways to engage with the student body.”
The club focuses on making small changes that encourage students to be more thoughtful about the environment. According to the Middle School Green Team, around 0.41 lbs of food are wasted by each student every day, adding up to 25,018.2 lbs of food each year by the Middle School alone. Even with such data, the environmental clubs still struggle to make noticeable changes, even as small as flyers.
“It’s pretty hard to get approval to do anything,” Tan said. “We were going to do it last week, but since it was Alumni Weekend, (administration) didn’t want us to do it.
Despite facing some setbacks, the Environmental Science and Sustainability Club has managed to create a week that exposes the sustainability issues that the school creates, and they will continue to do so in the year that follows.