Did you know only 35% of the United States waste is being recycled? Want to make a difference and change that statistic? Join the Young Environmentalist Club at Independence High School.
YEC is a club here at Independence that strives to better the environment by collecting recyclable materials and recycling them. YEC is sponsored by Phuong Kieu and William Bolton, who are both teachers here at Independence. The club meets every Thursday after school in Room 121 in the science building. Students are able to help the environment while being able to complete community service hours to show to college prospects that they were participating in activities benefit the community.
Kieu is an Integrated Science teacher here at Independence and has taught for 14 years. She is also an alumni and graduated from Independence in 2005.
Kieu stated that she wanted to become the YEC sponsor because it was a good way to live what she was already teaching in class. In addition, Kieu also became a club sponsor to help the younger generation realize that “Earth is not just there for you to use” and that change needs to happen to stop all the bad things happening, such as reducing the amount of waste in the land fills and limiting pollution. Kieu is able to achieve this by holding club meetings where she aims to collect recycling around the campus and dispose of it.
She believes that this year has been very successful in duties, but also in members. Kieu stated that throughout the years she has seen some members are “transient”, meaning she never really has a core group of people at each meeting. Due to the pandemic, there has been more of a push for environmental change, and Kieu has seen it through the club members. More and more students are becoming aware of the environmental crises and are finding ways to make changes. However, Kieu still sees growth in the club’s future and does not believe YEC has reached its peak. For those who are considering joining YEC, Kieu stated “Please join, please be here (room 121) every Thursday.”
Not only is one able to contribute to making a difference, but YEC awards students who help with the club with community service hours. These community service hours can help students who are looking to go to college. These hours show that the student was involved with extracurricular activities but also with bettering their community. In addition, Kieu and Bolton can write any YEC participant a letter of recommendation for college which would immensely help anyone.
The more students join YEC, the more things the club is able to partake in. Right now due to the fluctuating number of students who show up to each meeting, YEC is not able to participate in as many school events as Kieu wants it to. Getting more dedicated members and being more involved have become huge goals for the club.
Junior YEC club president, Valeria Gonzále has been in the club for the past 3 years. As club president, Gonzáles said some of her duties include ¨keeping people organized and picking up as much recycling as possible.” Gonzáles stated that a normal club meeting includes gathering together and making a plan to see who is going to what hallways to pick up the recycling.
Groups split up to cover as much ground around campus as possible, so members can ask others for help when emptying the totes in the recycling. This act creates a sense of camaraderie within the groups which strengthens the community of the club. Similarly to Kieu, Gonzáles believes that the club has growth in its future and the joining of more loyal members would help the club immensely.
When asked about the effectiveness of YEC, Gonzáles proclaimed, “I think it’s very effective because it is making a difference in the environment”. Even though it may be a small difference in the grand scheme of things, at least it is some difference rather than no difference.
Sophomore Ashley Ramirez Salazar, one of the newer members of YEC, said that she joined the club to find a way to be able to contribute to saving the environment. In addition, Ramirez proclaimed, “Although it may seem small, I know recycling has a huge impact on the environment”.
YEC has created a place for members to participate in tasks that allow them to feel enriched for saving the planet. To illustrate, Ramirez mentioned that “it makes me feel good knowing that I’m saving the environment”.
