With a classroom packed with students, on Sept. 10, the Environmental Club held its first meeting. Board members of the club shared their plans and goals to help improve the environment, inside and outside of school in the coming year.
One of the club’s biggest goals is improving the garden on campus. As it currently stands, the garden is home to a few small planting plots and some decoration. The Environmental Club wants to use this space to add more unique plants and grow it into a space where students can view a diverse array of different plants, including flowers and shrubbery but also edible plants such as tomatoes and carrots. In addition, the club hopes to add some dine-in spaces and new decorations such as a rock garden with small rocks colorfully painted by club members.
“We want to fix up the space between building 7 and building 6 so people can use it and that we can plant more plants there,” secretary Malhar Panse said. “We also want to grow herbs for the Culinary Club to be able to use in dishes.”
Another major objective is collaboration in the community. Lukas Nursery, a well known plant store in Oviedo, has already given the club a donation. Club executives have also been in contact with other environmental clubs in nearby schools with intent to work together to better the environment around them.
“We want to work with some other clubs. Other schools. We want to get people volunteer hours, we think this club will be really good for that. We have other projects like beach clean ups and lake clean ups in mind. Right now, we’re really just trying to lay the groundwork so we can do that,” Panse said.
Perhaps, the most ambitious aim the club has is its goal for size.
“I’m trying to make this club the biggest club at Hagerty High School,” president Thomas Dean said. A bigger club size will assist the club in some of its larger ventures.
“We want to raise awareness of the environment for a lot of people,” said treasurer Parth Goyal said . “[We want] a lot of people to come and help out with that. There’s a lot of work to be done.”
Overall, the Environmental Club plans to serve the environment, both in school and in the community around it in any way it can. The club will meet again Oct. 24 in 7-107.
“I love the environment. I think it’s a great medium to [build a] community and positive service, get people together, and excited,” Dean said. “I think that’s why most people are here, because they feel the same way.”
