The Eco Club is a small but passionate and dedicated group quietly making a big difference at HSE. It is among the school’s smallest clubs, currently with only nine members. Although their club membership is small, their impact is huge around the school.
Eco Club aims to create awareness and responsibility for sustainability within the school by educating their peers on the importance of proper recycling habits and the impact it can have on the environment. It also creates a tight knit community of passionate students where they can work together, share ideas, and take action toward long-term impact.
Club President Andrew Lu shared that Eco club is a safe space where students can express themselves freely.
“We are a small but friendly group of people who care about the environment and want to make a difference,” Lu said. “We hope to grow as a club because we are very small, and I think with growing our membership brings opportunities to do bigger and better things in our community.”
Running a small club takes a different kind of leadership, “The entire group participates in decision making and listening to other’s ideas is an important leadership skill this role has taught me,” Lu said.
They meet every Wednesday after school in room F119 to collect the school recycling for the week. Members are split into groups to collect from a specific section of the school. Groups sort their bins by bottles and cans, throwing everything else away. At the end, all groups meet up at by the dumpsters to throw away trash and recycle bottles and cans.
Lu noted that some common things that are not recyclable, but people still try to are Starbucks cups and paper.
“One of Eco Club’s goals is to inform other students on correct recycling and the impact it makes,” Lu said. We’ve discussed ways to grow like hanging flyers around the school and some members have expressed interest in going on the school news to promote the club.”
They hope to expand their club past weekly recycling pickups. “I envision us being able to do much larger events, some ideas we had discussed was picking up the recycling after events like football games or to plant trees somewhere at the school,” Lu said.
Lu hopes to do more fun and different club activities to draw the attention of more students.
Wednesdays are not the club’s only meetings. “We also occasionally have pathways meetings and those are really just times to hang out and do something fun like painting flowerpots,” Lu said.
Beyond the club’s environmental goals, Eco club is a reminder that change can start with anyone. Each can and bottle recycled is a step towards improving the sustainability of the school, and each member is an example of dedication and commitment to something bigger than them.
