Green Team is crucial in promoting environmental awareness, sustainability and eco-friendly practices among Camas High School (CHS) students. It provides a platform for students to learn about environmental issues and conservation while inspiring changes within the school and local community. The club hosts volunteer events such as tree plantings, ivy cuttings and tending to the school garden in the spring. The last planting was highly successful, resulting in 175 trees planted. These volunteer events are generally on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.. Fundraiser money and produce from the garden are donated to the Clark County Food Bank, further benefiting the community.
Green Team also organizes trash clean-ups throughout the school, helping to maintain a cleaner environment at CHS. The club collects and recycles plastic, helping to reduce the total amount of waste produced at the school.
“We did a fundraiser we called Food for Futures last year where we grew plants to sell at the Camas Plant and Garden Fair to raise money for all the planet-saving we do in Green Team, which we hope to do again this year!” CHS student and Green Team officer Sophia Johnson said.
The club’s hard work has certainly paid off. They were able to reach a platinum-level Earthgen certification. This program recognizes schools that are healthier for the earth and more sustainable. There are five levels of certification, with platinum being one of the highest.
“We are a platinum-certified, green school, which means that we have taken action to reduce our carbon emissions, waste, and energy use enough to impact our school. We will continue to find ways to reduce our energy use throughout CHS,” CHS student and Green Team president Charlotte Cox said.
The club has expanded dramatically in the last few years. It began as the occasional Zoom meeting attended by only four people to hosting over 30 members. However, there is still room to grow. Not everyone is active in the club; on average, only 10 people attend the meetings. Usually, only around five people attend the volunteer events.
The lack of a conference period has also proved difficult for the club. With the 30-minute conference period last year, meaningful work could be done. Green Team now struggles with the 15-minute student support period, which does not provide enough time for lengthy meetings.
“Now, we have a lot of people that ride the bus, and they are basically here for 10 minutes. Last year, we were able to have garden work parties and trash clean-ups during those 30-minute periods, and we don’t really have that opportunity right now,” CHS teacher and Green Team supervisor Ali Coker said.
Green Team is searching for more involved members who want to step up and make a difference in the community. This club is the perfect fit for anyone interested in the environment and strongly desires to help make CHS more sustainable.
