Willow Glen Environmental Cleanup Club doing their part in bettering their community, photo by Sofia Russell (‘25).
Did you know that schools across the country produce as much carbon dioxide as 18 million homes each year? With a plethora of lights, heating systems, and daily waste piling up, our school is part of this massive carbon footprint. In a world increasingly affected by climate change, it is vital that we as students initiate change to create a more sustainable future.
Surveying the quad at lunch time, it’s nearly impossible to count the amount of plastic wrappers left on the ground and tables. At the end of the school year, most students succumb to tossing the hundreds of paper handouts they have collected. The amount of waste produced in a school setting is unignorable given the increasingly alarming environmental crisis. Some students have taken it upon themselves to be part of a solution, joining Willow Glen Environmental Cleanup Club in an effort to better their local climate. Partnering with South Bay Clean Creeks Coalition, this group of proactive students has regular meet-ups to learn about environmental issues and volunteer in trash cleanups around the area. Co-presidents Amelia Pease (‘25) and Sofia Russell (‘25) have relied on using fun pop-culture elements in their club promotion in order to stimulate interest in picking up litter.
It seems that a big inspiration for the creation of the WG Environment Club was Russell and Pease’s experience in their AP Environmental Science class. The APES course addresses a wide range of globally relevant topics, including labs on water usage and lessons on the importance of buying locally. Russell claims that the class “was really eye-opening,” informing her on the importance of taking care of the environment.
But why should we rely on one class as the only source of knowledge about our environment? The fact of the matter is that information on how to be environmentally friendly is not nearly accessible enough to the average student. General information on how we as individuals can be more sustainable should be incorporated into every student’s learning experience. Whether it’s included in an educational seminar, or built into the common science class curriculum, Pease believes that having access to information like that taught in APES “allows everyone to leave high school more educated.”
Outside of the classroom, small changes to our daily lives can make a large difference in the impact we have on our planet. Easy adjustments such as taking shorter showers, using reusable bags, buying locally, recycling, and buying second hand can collectively help to ease the tensions of the current environmental stresses. Trends like Project Pan, which promotes finishing all of your products before buying new ones, also give hope in fighting for better consumerism practices.
It’s not just about joining a club or starting an initiative, it’s about creating a culture of care and responsibility. Whether it’s switching to reusable items, participating in clean-up events, or simply being mindful of our water use, everyone has a role to play. As Anaya Zambrano (‘25) puts it, we need to do our best in taking care of our Earth as “we only have one” and it’s our responsibility to make a change.