Why Join Green Team?

High schools across the nation offer clubs of all sorts, ranging from completive clubs such as DECA (a club where students assume the roles of business leaders) and FFA (a club where America’s future farmers refine their skills) to mere passion projects where students can bond over shared interests. Among the variety of clubs at American public high schools, there are less clubs that seriously focus on driving for change and address the issues our world is facing. And across the clubs that do, only one club truly focuses on the most urgent and prevalent issue Humanity has ever faced: Green Team.

The planet needs help. The reality is, the planet needs everyone’s help, but specifically it needs young people. The planet needs a generation of informed thinkers that are working to make decisions and solutions that will stop the spread of global warming. This idea of climate activism and eco-friendly mindsets starts in classrooms.  

If it were up to me, all students should be required to be in some sort of Green Team/Environmental Club, or at least in an environmental science class. Learning the impact our actions have on the planet is not a topic that should be briefly brushed over in freshman biology but fully incorporated into curriculums across America and the world. Students need to be taught at young ages because their voices and choices matter.

This teaching can start as early as elementary school. EEP is a perfect example of the impact that environmental education has on younger students. EEP, standing for Environmental Enrichment Project, takes truths about our planet’s future and the work humanity must do and combines these facts with engaging crafts and games that stimulate young minds. These lessons encourage elementary students to make meaningful decisions about the environmental while also showing how eco-friendly crafts are just as fun as “regular” crafts if not more fun. EEP is easily adoptable across elementary schools and is a great base to give smaller students as they face the world's issues in years to come.

What begins in elementary school should only be fostered as students reach middle and high school. What are the next steps students should take when it comes to environmental activism in high school? Green Team! Joining Green Team unlocks a threshold of possibilities and opportunities for students. Hands on learning through community service and school wide projects, empowering meetings with others who truly care about our planet’s future, and a lasting imprint on a school’s culture and norms. All these things are what sets Green Team aside from other clubs. If you really want to make a difference at your school, community, or even in the world, start with Green Team.