Have you ever been walking to class and stumbled upon an unfamiliar green recycling bin in the hallway? The Green Team club has managed to tackle the world of aluminum recycling with their new additions to the school. The club has been making efforts to improve the environment and spread awareness to students about the importance of recycling and being mindful of our waste.
“A big pillar of our club is to establish awareness,” said junior and club president Francisco Ardila. “[We want] to make change but also make people aware of how their actions influence the environment.”
The recycling bins are only the start of the club’s many endeavors, with the goal of adding more inclusions in order to push the school into a more sustainable atmosphere. According to the American Chemical Society, the trash from the bins are brought to recycling centers to be cleaned and crushed. After this process, it is brought to an aluminum recycling plant where the trash is melted, and then solidified again.
“It’s starting the future of our recycling program. Our whole goal for recycling at Vandegrift is to start small and get big,” Ardila said. “The next thing we’re going to look at is paper recycling. A lot of teachers, especially, could use paper recycling for things that they use within the classroom.”
Many students and staff seem to be on board with the club’s passion for the environment. With an overall successful effort in delving into the world of recycling, many staff members have helped provide for the aluminum recycling program.
“We’ve seen a lot of support from the staff,” said Ardila.“The trash cans we use, the math department gave to us.”
The success of the aluminum recycling program has been apparent, and more students are becoming aware of the club and their mission to help the school’s environment. With their active social media presence and involvement with environmental associations from other schools, their success can be seen widely across many accounts.
“We’ve seen an increase in aluminum collected from the first week to the second week. More people [now] know about [the recycling bins] and make use of them,” Ardila said. “We’re supporting other people who are doing environmental endeavors. Doing service projects and collaboration with other existing groups [in order] to be successful.”
The members of the club have certainly aided the achievements of the club, with more members wanting to help the planet and reach new milestones. Many of the club’s members have participated in service projects and help spread awareness regarding the recycling bins.
“There’s so many students that have passion, it’s not that hard to get them wanting to [participate],” Ardila said. “We have to make sure we give them opportunities in order to exercise that passion.”
The Green Team has made an undeniable impact on the school’s environmental awareness, and is continuing to do so with their immense amount of future plans and current involvement. The club has received attention and support from students, staff, and other organizations that have put in the effort to aid the club’s goals.
“For me, [my goal is] to make sure that this club is as strong as it was when I started it; [to] create a legacy for the club that will supersede me and the other members,” Ardila said.
Aluminum recycling is just the start of the many projects the Green Team plans to carry out. However, the start is still a big step to becoming more environmentally aware. The next time you see those green recycling bins while lingering throughout the hallways, think about your impact on our planet’s environment.
The newly formed organization has taken on a lot of initiatives in their first year amidst a surprising number of members joining and instituting ideas. The students' desires for addressing environmental concerns remains paramount for their generation.
