Reduce, Reuse, Recycle; these words have always been heard, but the students at Etowah High School are making this motto a reality. With a new school year starting, and determined students, it is obvious that around Etowah ‘Green’ is becoming the new Blue and Gold.
Everywhere you turn there are crafty and fashionable ways to help reduce the carbon footprint. Girls carry lunch boxes that are not only cute, but save hundreds of plastic and paper bags. People are buying reusable water bottles, and are starting to recycle their trash little by little. More students are carpooling and riding the bus. This is saving fuel, and reducing the unnecessary pollution. Many students at Etowah are making small efforts at being greener, but there is one group of students who are making big changes.
The Environmental Action Club is made up of members who are looking to change the world, globally and locally. They are passionate and driven, and are serious about what they do. The club has contributed many things to Etowah’s campus, but they are best known for a paper recycling program, and campus landscaping.
Eric Caldwell, senior, is going to be a new member of the environmental club and is excited about the plans for Etowah this year.
"This year is going to be good, hopefully people will learn more about the environment, and we can have a lot of people trying to help out," Caldwell said.
Caldwell has been interested in going green for a couple of years now, but he has just now started being serious about helping the environment.
"My mom is always pushing recycling and buying organic foods, and I never really cared until lately. Now I think it’s cool, and hopefully being green can become a habit for me like it is for her," Caldwell said.
Not only is Caldwell making a difference at home, but he is helping out at school too.
"I want to see plastic lunch trays in the cafeteria instead of Styrofoam, and also more recycling bins around the school would be cool. It would be really good to see recycling and going green pushed more in classes too," he said.
"Going green is all about doing something. And though not everyone at Etowah is going to lead a recycling program, anyone can help the environment," Caldwell said.
Some ways to help would be unplugging chargers when not in use, carrying a reusable water bottle, and recycling trash.
Caldwell is only one of the many students at Etowah who are passionate about saving the environment. Like Hannah Rogers, freshman, has started making jewelry with recycled pop tabs. Kyle Walker, senior, is always shopping thrifty; not only does he come up with crazy outfits, but he recycles old clothes by shopping at thrift stores.
"I like to dress different, and the best place to get great clothes is at thrift stores," Walker said.
Walker is not only helping the environment, but he is doing it in his own personal way. He shops thrifty but is helping out at home too.
"I recycle all my cans and bottles, that way they can make more for me," Walker said.
Walker also has his own reasons for going green.
"We have to live on this planet, so we better treat it right," he said firmly.
Etowah is slowly but surely moving its way toward being a green school. Students are changing the world, and it is making a huge difference here too.