The Environmental Club is a student-based club focused on helping Oakdale High School (OHS) become a green school. The Environmental Club was made by teacher Ms. Beth Nave. The Club has been participating in campus wide clean ups which means doing practices that will promote sustainability. They recycle, but no longer do composting TREX collection, which is just soft plastics.
Senior Mackenzie Weiler joined the club because, “I was just honestly interested especially when I was in sophomore year. Now I just find it like an interest in doing things more environmentally.” The environmental club is not just about recycling and making Oakdale a green school, it can be an interest for some people in school or anywhere to keep the environment clean.
Senior Pragna Yalamanchili, another student at Oakdale, explains why she likes the club: “It feels like you’re actually doing something instead of just sitting around and telling people to be better, turn off your lights, take shorter showers.” Most of what they do is in the school but they have such a big group that they are trying to spread out to a community so they’re going to try to get more communities involved.
The club started four years ago. Oakdale had an informal club that tried to get green schools done. Nave gives information on how the club helps the environment: “The club helps people in Oakdale to know how to be more environmentally friendly. Hopefully it’s the young people that are going to make a change not me but they’re going to go out and educate some people and do the same which means it’s overall better for the environment. A little bit help.”
Since OHS has club days now, it’s harder for the Environmental Club because there is not enough time for them to collect all the recycles and plan everything. The club has been trying to meet after school and Nave has students that come by daily or weekly to check up and get things done.
Yalamanchili explained “I joined freshman year.” and Weiler responded “Sophomore year. I would have joined freshman year except covid and I was like I’m not doing clubs during that.” You can join the environmental club or you can just be a volunteer to help our school become a greener school.
