BY DOMINIC MARION
Over the weekend of April 20, members of the Environmental and German Clubs woke up bright and early to pick up litter off the side of West Greystone Road near Jonas Salk Middle School. With the aid of government workers, the group of 12, including faculty advisor Brita Schmitz, helped to clean the local environment.
On every cleanup, club members wear gardening gloves to protect their hands from dirt and potentially dangerous objects such as glass or thorns. “After we’re ready, we’ll spend usually an hour walking around an area of the school to pick up trash, and we dispose of it at the end,” explained Jash Prajapati, President of the Environmental Club.
Two township employees and a police officer made sure vehicles passing on the road safely avoided the students. Additionally, anything too large or pointy to fit inside a trash bag went into a dump truck one of the employees drove alongside the group.
All types of items laid on the side of the road. “There had to be at least seventy mini alcohol bottles—they were everywhere,” said Sophia Pavon. “There were also packs of cigarettes, an entire plastic bin, a tire, and lots of food containers and wrappers.”
Each student filled about one and a half garbage bags with manmade trash. “I kept telling myself that getting dirty would all be worth it in the end and better the environment, no matter how much I wanted to stop in the moment,” said Elizabeth Tchia.
Students who participated earned six volunteer hours, but, most importantly, they earned the right to feel proud about their positive impact. “I think even though we didn’t make such a drastic change in the community, we helped make a small change, because, in the end, it was much cleaner than before,” said Reya Ferrer.
The group also saw first-hand the impact of litter on the community. “I still feel very prideful for helping out but cannot fathom how many people litter when they can easily hold onto it and dispose of it in a proper manner,” said William Martinez-Cotto.
To join the Environmental Club, contact the President Jash Prajapati, Vice President Samantha Prado Roberts, or Faculty Advisor Brita Schmitz on teams. To join the German Club, reach out to Faculty Advisor Brita Schmitz. The clubs plan to go on more cleanups to help the community in the future.
Posted on 5/23/24
Photos by Dominic Marion
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