In today’s world, our planet is vulnerable to climate change, global warming and other environmental harms. Winters without snow and 60 degree days are now common, and it appears as though it may be too late to reverse these effects; but, students at WHS are ambitious to tackle these issues and better the situation of our planet.
A portion of Superintendent Dr. Bridget Gough’s Student Leadership Cabinet recently sparked the idea of getting the Green Team—a student-run group that promotes the betterment of the Earth—back up-and-running at WHS. Seniors Nirjara Akkole, Norah Broderick and Rebecca Schmidt, and juniors Michael Federer, Shahasree Keerthana, Thomas Kowalsky and Jackson Towers, have been meeting frequently to discuss the future of the Green Team.
“We’re not reinventing the wheel: we’re reviving the Green Team that did such good work paving the way by promoting environmental sustainability around the school,” senior Student Leadership Cabinet member Rebecca Schmidt said.
In 2009, a group of students at WHS introduced the Green Team to the collection of the various student-led organizations available at the school. They worked alongside other clubs, such as Student Council, to offer opportunities for students to connect with nature and contribute to the improvement of our planet. However, as years passed, the Green Team became leaderless after many active members reached their graduation. Luckily, the ambitions of Walpole’s Student Leadership Cabinet aspire to foster participation across freshman and sophomores to create a large, diverse base of students that can prolong the Green Team’s existence.
Although the team isn’t reestablished yet, aspiring members have been meeting frequently to curate solutions and mechanisms to employ upon WHS students and staff to bring light to the health of the Earth, such as introducing recycling bins to the cafeteria, crafting eco-friendly posters to hang on the walls and having the lunchroom evaluated for sustainability. Additionally, they plan to have a portion of the school’s morning news announcements dedicated to educating students and faculty on the misconceptions of recycling, such as how black plastics should not be recycled. These notices have the potential to cultivate schoolwide investment in not only the Green Team at WHS, but in the environment in general.
“Though a lot of climate change is out of our control, there is a lot we can do within the school to make it more sustainable and to address the situation of our planet. Every small effort counts,” Schmidt said.
One long-term goal the upcoming Green Team has set out is investing in composting at the school. Composting has numerous benefits for the planet: it reduces waste and emissions from landfills, improves soil health and overall, protects the climate. Although it is a timely process, typically taking anywhere from two weeks to two years to process depending on the material, it is definitely worth the investment in the eyes of the future Green Team.
However, this project is something that will be in the works for years to come. Regardless, these seven members of Dr. Gough’s Student Leadership Cabinet have full faith that this future composting project—and the regeneration of the Green Team in its entirety—has the potential to bring a great impact to the Walpole community, and our planet as a whole.
