Earth Day Spotlight: Garden Club and Green Club

By Alanna Contreras

Earth Day, observed annually on April 22nd, is a global reminder of our collective responsibilities to the environment. Since its beginning in 1970, it has evolved into a profound call to action, motivating individuals, communities, and governments worldwide to confront pressing environmental issues.

Earth Day was first celebrated on April 22, 1970, after being proposed by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson. It arose from growing concerns about environmental issues following events like the Santa Barbara oil spill in 1969. Since then, Earth Day has become a global event focused on raising awareness and promoting environmental conservation efforts worldwide.

Engaging in activities such as cleaning up litter and planting trees contributes to creating a happier and healthier environment for us all to live in. In New Rochelle High School our community is constantly always contributing to improving our environment. 

“We grow our own produce that any of our club members or other people in the community are free to take,”  said Veronica Yu, Gardening Club Vice President. “Sourcing your produce locally helps to reduce carbon emissions and the need for plastic packaging. The many flowers that we plant also serve as support for many pollinators, such as the bees in the beekeeping club! Finally, adding more greenery is important since plants can take CO2, a major greenhouse gas.”

“The gardening club supplies the school with a fresh and beautiful garden, teaching fellow students skills on how to plant while educating about taking care of our crops and keeping them sustainable,” said Aviela Lim, Gardening Club treasurer. 

While the Gardening Club educates others about planting and enhances our school environment, the Green Club contributes to environmental preservation through activities such as organizing lake clean-ups, hosting clothing drives, removing invasive species, and arranging pop-up shops. 

“Green Club works to make our school more sustainable through educating students and sponsoring environmental initiatives,” said Ava Dee, Co-President of the NRHS Green Club. “Right now, we are working on hosting a pop-up thrift shop, and running a grid rewards campaign where people can earn money by downloading the app!” 

By doing the grid rewards campaign you get $10 for yourself and $10 for the club if you sign up using NRGREENCLUB! Grid Rewards is an app you can download on your phone and link to your Con Edison account. It tells you when lots of people are using energy in your area, so you can cut back on using things like your oven and washer. This helps avoid using peaker plants, which make really dirty energy and create a lot of waste.

Co-President, Keyera Gordon also said, “In the Green Club we focus on educating both members and ourselves on how we can improve our sustainability method whether that can be through second-hand shopping, recycling, or limiting our energy use.”