Our home planet Earth, which only gives and never takes, supporting all known life, is being threatened with pollution, global warming, and various other types of damage that destroy the environment. Whether it be caused by big businesses polluting the air and waterways or just careless people throwing trash out of their car window, it has become clear that the health of the environment has taken a massive hit, especially in the past few decades. However, there are groups of people dedicated to saving the planet from the carelessness of others, among them being the Hinsdale South Eco Club.
Sponsored by Mr. Hallihan and Mrs. Kaduk, this club of just under 15 people meets once every other week in order to “advocate sustainability and help protect the environment,” according to Eco Club member RJ Corson. One of the ways this benevolent purpose is achieved is through planting trees. Corson said that the club is “trying to create an arboretum within the school, which means planting and protecting lots of trees.”
Caring for the environment can be lots of fun as well! Corson enthusiastically revealed one of the most exciting things they’ve done this year: “we had a pumpkin smash, which happens post-Halloween. People donate rotten pumpkins and we smash them, with kids from the community helping out and the remains getting composted.” They created a fertilizer and nutrient-rich compost for soil by smashing over 400 pumpkins!
The club got much of the community involved by holding this pumpkin smash, and in one of their more recent acts of kindness towards the planet, they again retained their local approach. According to Cody Splingaire, another member of the club, they “grew plants native to Illinois to support its ecosystem.” In the hustle and bustle of Chicago and its surrounding suburbs, it seems as though the environment is prone to being continually neglected more than less urban places, making this area the place where the Eco Club is needed most.
The efforts of the Eco Club are still continuing! For their next event, ECO is making ‘Super Crayons’. These crayons are made out of broken crayons and recreated in such a way that would make them easier to use for people with disabilities. With this, they are not only helping the environment but also those with potential physical or mental impairments as well.
Clearly, then, the Eco Club is wholeheartedly dedicated to promoting the health of the environment, the essence of our very own planet. In the words of Splingaire, “where would I be without the environment?”
