On Fridays after school, students wearing gloves and carrying recycling bins of various sizes and colors roam the halls. These students are part of the Environmental Club. Through teamwork and tenacity, they clean up around the school. The Environmental Club works with a salvage company in order to recycle paper and other things to help the environment. Around 150 Bay Shore high school students participate in clean ups every week.
Run by Ms. Kami Horsley, the environmental club has been around for 20 years. The club began because Horsley felt bad about how much paper she wasted as a teacher.
“20 years ago I wanted to start recycling paper,” Horsley said. “I felt guilty because I was using all this paper and throwing it in the garbage.”
The purpose of the environmental club is to give students an appreciation for the environment by taking steps to better care for it. Horsley said that she tries to lead by example in order to inspire other kids to join the club and also just help the environment.
Weekly Routines
The Environmental club begins to clean up after school, starting at 2pm. During cleanups, students gather into groups and recycle paper from copy machines and sort out any non-recycleables from classroom bins. The environmental club has a symbiotic relationship with a salvage company. They receive bins from salvage companies used for the recycled paper. In return, the salvage company receives paper they can use for recycling.
Each cleanup begins in the little theater where students get gloves and recycling bins. The students spread across the school’s three floors and the new wing and go into classrooms to find and sort recyclables and gather up used paper.
Environmental Research
In order to join the environmental club students must complete a research project. The Environmental Club has other incentives to join other than helping out the ecosystem. They go kayaking every spring and have had field trips to Costa Rica and Iceland.
Many students join this club because they feel like making a difference in the environment. The members of the environmental club are loyal to the environment in and out of school.
“I own a recycling bin and will recycle when I can,” said Juliana Reddy, a member of the environmental club.
Students interested in joining the Environmental Club can reach out to Ms.Horsley or go to the little theatre on Fridays to help with weekly clean ups.
