Charlotte Faulkner ‘27 has always been passionate about the environment and hopes to pursue a career in sustainability. She has attended Green Team meetings as a member throughout her time at Jesuit, but this year, she has stepped into a leadership role for the club.
Faulkner loves being a member of the Green Team because of the opportunity to bring a perspective based on environmental support to her school.
“I think it’s a really important topic, especially surrounding climate change, and it’s important to teach young kids what it means to think sustainably and ecologically,” said Faulkner.
A typical meeting with the green team starts with initial announcements of different events around the Portland area to get involved in. Then, they focus on a main topic. These topics could include partnering with other clubs, such as fashion club to put on a thrifting event, or even writing public comments about current issues and environmental policies. With spare time, they work on recycling and enjoying snacks. Faulkner assures students that even if they aren’t an official member of Green Team, they are always welcome to stop by for a meeting.
“You could walk into a meeting in March and not feel like you have missed anything from December or November,” said Faulkner.
While the strong membership of Green Team is crucial, the club would not be where it is without its leaders. There are many leadership roles on Green Team. Faulkner is a programs representative, working closely with Mrs. Kuenz to plan and oversee all meetings, but has also been a recycling coordinator. If students are interested in becoming a leader, other positions include a social media manager or a club promoter.
“As a leader, it honestly isn’t that much of a commitment. It just requires being in contact with the rest of the group and trying to come up with creative, efficient ideas for the group,” said Faulkner.
As a programs representative, Faulkner has been working closely with Mrs. Kuenz this week especially, helping plan Jesuit’s “Green Week” activities in honor of Earth day.
Monday was meatless Monday, where Faulkner reminded us that overconsumption of meat is one of the number one causes of climate change and deforestation in the Amazon.
Tuesday was try-it-on Tuesday, a day encouraging students to bring formal wear and prom attire in for a thrift-like exchange. This helps promote the idea of avoiding overconsumption.
Wednesday was walking Wednesday, as well as Earth day. On this day, students were encouraged to donate their old Nike shoes into a bin, which the Green Team will bring to the Nike campus to be reused for parts. Last year around 100 shoes were donated!
Thursday was therapy dog Thursday, where students were encouraged to see the service dogs to support caring for our common home. This event reminds the community that caring for our common home includes all creatures, including animals.
Friday was flip-the-switch Friday. Faculty and students were encouraged to reduce electricity usage by turning off unnecessary lights and reducing technology usage, if possible.
“There’s only so much we can do, which we understand, but it is also super important to follow these suggestions, because they can make a real difference if we all really try,” said Faulkner.
While there is a great deal of emphasis on caring for our common home during Earth week, it is important to take these lessons of sustainability into our everyday lives. Students can help by recycling makeup products, batteries, dental products, contact lenses, candy wrappers, food, and even metal film all here at Jesuit.
“Bringing stuff in instead of just throwing things in the trash is an easy, efficient, and really beneficial thing to do to get involved,” said Faulkner.
To Faulkner, Earth day is about more than practicing sustainability for a week. Earth day serves as a reminder to her about how lucky she is to live in such a beautiful state that really cares about the environment.
“With every action that I do on Earth day, I really think about how lucky I am to live in a state that is so green, and how important it is to preserve it and work in any way we can to protect it,” said Faulkner.
This Earth week and every day after, join Faulkner in getting involved in the community to make a difference in protecting our planet. Faulkner encourages everyone interested to always recycle, attend a Green Team meeting, and reach out if you are interested in becoming a leader of Green Team next year.
