The importance of recycling

Conserving resources, saving energy, reducing landfill and protecting the Earth is as easy as dropping a plastic water bottle into the correct bin. But sometimes people don’t put their trash where it’s supposed to go. So what is Environmental Club doing to help out Grayslake North and their recycling ways?
“Right now, we collect paper and plastics to recycle. That’s a lot for a school this large, and everyone is helping tremendously by recycling what we can,” said Christine Applehans, the newest co-sponsor of the club.
Every Tuesday, members from Environmental Club at Grayslake North can be seen emptying recycling bins after school in room A223. They sort through and make sure that recycling is being done correctly here at North. It has been a rising issue in recent years since some things are ending up in the wrong bins.
“Some of the stuff we find is really disgusting. I know people at North love the Naked drinks from the cafe, but I can tell you that they smell really bad after sitting in a bin for a week. P.S. The white buckets in your classrooms are for plastic bottles, not trash,” said Charlie Lennes, one of the presidents in Environmental Club.
Environmental Club has helped students reduce their ecological footprint. They learn how harmful certain things can be for the planet, but also how to leave a positive mark. Besides recycling, they travel to forest preserves, revive endangered plants and get rid of invasive species that can cause damage to the forest.
“In the future, we would like to bring more awareness to the ‘bigger picture’ of recycling and our own carbon footprint. We have a great group of students in the club, but we could always use more! It is a great way to make a difference in our world now and improve it for future generations as well as learn along the way,” Applehans said.