The brand-new environmental club at Hidden Valley High School was started in the 2023 – 2024 school year by Abby Wanek and is currently being sponsored by Mrs. Karandikar.
The Hidden Valley Environmental Club’s main goal is to help support the environment. The Environmental Club’s mission helps to clean and preserve our air, forests, oceans, and lakes. Lyn Devlin (11) said “I joined the environmental club because I really care about the environment and I want to do my part in keeping the world safe, however small that part may be.“
The Environmental Club plans on doing many things to make their goal come true. They have already done a few small things this year in the short time they’ve been a club. One thing they have started and plan to expand on is adding cardboard bins in each classroom for recycling. These bins may be small, but if the whole world had bins for recycling, it would be a different place.
The Environmental Club also has big plans for the future. In the future, the club plans on fixing up the school’s garden and bird houses. Doing this is very helpful to the environment. This is because plants act as an effective air cleaner. They are super effective because of how much carbon dioxide and air pollutants they absorb. They then turn all these air pollutants and carbon dioxide into clean oxygen and fragrance. Also, a dense area of plants holds soil in place, reducing erosion and keeping sediment out of places like streams, storm drains, and roads. Bird houses help the environment by helping birds survive. This is important because birds are very helpful to the environment and helping to keep them alive allows them to breed more. Birds help control weeds, keep insect population at a reasonable number, pollinate plants, spread seeds, and keep soil fertilized.
The Environmental Club also teaches you many things about the environment and how to make it a better place. Lyn Devlin said, “So far, I have learned about what type of plants are better for the environment. For instance, moss produces much more oxygen than regular grass, and wildflowers are wonderful pollinators.“
The Environmental Club may be small, but with the help of students at Hidden Valley and their admirable efforts they can make a huge difference.