Eco Friendly Friends bring environmental awareness to CHS

Eco Friendly Friends bring environmental awareness to CHS

Vanessa Villanueva, Reporter

Do you have an interest in the natural environment or the betterment of your community? If so, take the opportunity to get involved with Colton high school’s very own environmental club. The Eco Friendly Friends are a group of students making the effort to be a positive difference in our communities by actively engaging with the environment around them. The club, which meets every Tuesday from 2:30pm to 3:30pm in room 56, is advised by Ms Pelletier.

Ms Pelletier is a teacher here at Colton high school who is just as passionate about the environment as these students are. She says what inspires her to take part in environmental activities is “Our health is  directly related to the health of the environment. It is every person’s right to have access to clean air and clean water. Life on Earth exists as interconnected food webs, so things that impact other species will eventually have an impact on us also.”

This group of student activists uses the platform of our school’s environmental club to spread environmental awareness throughout the community. Ms Pelletier voices an opinion that the club members share as she says, “It is more important now than ever to be aware of environmental changes. With climate change threatening to severely disrupt our way of life, we need to act now to slow or stop these changes before it is too late.” The change in climate that the Earth has been experiencing over the past years has spurred many into acting to limit their negative impact on our natural environment. It is projected that by the year 2100, the average U.S. temperature will increase by about 3°F to 12°F, according to our current emissions. This continued change will cause an increase in average temperatures throughout our world, provoking intense heat waves and flooding in various parts of the world at a more frequent rate.

Our eco friendly peers are responding to such information by doing what they can to curb pollution starting here on our campus. “ They host campus cleanups every Friday after school, and try to do a gardening session at least once a week.” You may have noticed students picking up trash and working to revive our school’s garden. However their focus only starts here on campus as they aim to inspire and work with others throughout different communities. Ms Pelletier adds that they do so “by taking part in organized activities such as beach cleanups with Heal the Bay, a non-profit environmental organization. Also, by getting guest speakers to come and talk to students, and using sidewalk chalk and posters to help spread the message.”

Speaking about their efforts makes it clear that there is more to come from this group of students. Ms Pelletier leaves us with something to think about as she says, “It is too easy to live our lives in our little bubbles and not pay attention to what is going on around us, so it is important to take part in activities and to help make other people aware of what is going on.”