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Natural Thinking, Better Living

Georgia Lord '18
This past week, the Burr and Burton Environmental Club hosted a number of events in honor of Earth Day. The theme, “Natural Thinking, Better Living,” was a reminder to the community that sometimes simple is best and that it’s important to use the resources around them. 

“Students wanted to highlight, especially this year, that living aligned with natural systems and within the bounds of nature actually creates a better life and lifestyle,” said Environmental Club Faculty Advisor Jillian Joyce. “For me this was so clear through the increase of outdoor recreation and appreciation for the natural world that many people turned to during our months of ‘stay home, stay safe.’ Many people needed breaks from technology and from the walls of home, and they felt safe taking those breaks in nature.”

Here were the events from the week:

All week: Students participated in a “green-up” picking up trash around their neighborhoods. If a student sent in a photo, they were entered into a lottery where they could win a basket of eco-friendly prizes. 

Tuesday/Wednesday: The Environmental Club screen printed Earth Day shirts on thrifted items. Students also had the option of printing their own shirts in the art studio. 

Wednesday: An online screening of 2040 was shown to students in classes and after school. 2040 provides a positive vision of what the earth could be if humans focused on reversing the effects of global warming.
 
Thursday: Students made origami dragonflies out of recycled book pages for an art installation in the library. They learned that dragonflies are an indicator species of the health of our ecosystems, and the process of creating the origami became a symbol of patience and persistence. 

Beyond Earth Week, the Environmental Club is devoted to bringing sustainable change to Burr and Burton’s campus. 
 
“It has been so fun to be more involved with this club because it’s a great group of kids who are passionate about making change,” said sophomore Harper Stevenson. “A big focus earlier in the school year was creating straightforward and simple waste stations in each hallway, so that there was one trash can, compost, and recycling per floor. It’s great to see so many teachers and students enthusiastically embrace new systems, and help in any way that they can.”
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