March 19, 2024

NHS Environmental Club takes action to affect change locally, globally

Earth’s habitable environment is easy to take for granted. People get caught up in daily routines, and actions to protect the planet’s precious resources fall to the back burner. Newton High School Environmental Club is making those actions a priority.

The newly-formed group is setting admirably lofty goals. Several students are in the process of starting a petition to show the federal government their support for the Paris Agreement, which is a global effort to strengthen the response to the threat of climate change. The club’s goal is to collect 100,000 signatures from high school students in central Iowa and beyond.

The Environmental Club is in contact with Rep. Wes Breckenridge, D-Newton, and U.S. Congressman Dave Loebsack to explore methods of circulating the petition. The students were not old enough to vote in last year’s election. However, they’re the next generation of voters, and they’re finding ways to make their voices heard.

“I think everything starts with one voice,” said club vice president Bethany Baumgartner. “When one person starts to speak out and you find others, like this club, who have the same opinions and the same ideas and the same motives, then you can keep spreading the word and growing to reach new levels.”

Addressing the Paris Agreement is a bigger-picture idea, but the club is dedicated to taking on the little things. The students want to make a difference locally. Club secretary Rachel Rhoads said drinking out of a reusable water bottle instead of using disposable bottles makes an impact.

“People might think it’s not a big deal, it’s just one (water bottle),” Rhoads said. “But one adds up over time. Little things make a big difference.”

For most of the club, it boils down to one essential truth — we only have one Earth, and we need to take care of it.

NHS science teacher Jodi Morgan-Peters helps the group organize and plan its activities. She credited the students with taking charge. When Janna Balek, who now serves as club president, came to Morgan-Peters with the idea of starting an Environmental Club, Morgan-Peters didn’t have the free time to put it together. The science teacher liked the idea but told Balek she was on her own as far as forming the club.

“I thought that would be the end of it, it would fizzle out,” Morgan-Peters said. “But (Balek) came back to me a couple days later with the paperwork all filled out and all ready to go.”

Since then, the group has charged forward. At Tuesday’s after school meeting, the club discussed ways to bring community resources together. Morgan-Peters suggested the formation of a Facebook page where the club could share links to recycling centers create a shared space for the community.

The club wants to find ways to use reclaimed materials at the high school. It also aims to build connections with other area schools and find other students with similar ideas and goals.

As part of Red Pride Day in May, the Environmental Club is working with Nathan Unsworth of Newton Parks and Grounds to plant trees at Westwood Golf Course. Red Pride Day offers numerous opportunities for students to get involved.

“The students from the high school go out into the community and do projects that have been set up,” Morgan-Peters said. “They plant flowers, they paint stuff, they pick up trash, they help people at their homes with yard cleanup.”

NHS Environmental Club’s members are: Alyssa Williams, Bethany Baumgartner, Briahna Teague, Christine Neer, David Lopez-Sanders, Diamond Hansen, Emily Bollhoefer, Emily Hopman, Georgia Peckham, Helen Chandler, Janna Balek, Jessie Harlan, Joseph Busch, Kaitlyn Barnes, Lakin Jenkins, Lindsay Campbell, Lucas Sheff, Rachel Rhoads, Richelle Roush, Sarah Prendergast, Shannah Ergenbright, Shonna Roush, Taylor Dydell and Zoya Urbanowitz.

Contact Justin Jagler at 641-792-3121 ext 6532 or jjagler@newtondailynews.com