Meet Your Committees: Environmental Committee

Tihmily Li, Communications Officer
Last week, Greenwood held a leadership fair for students to attend and learn more about leadership opportunities at Greenwood. Student leadership applications are due on April 8 and students are welcome to submit their applications through the ON portal. One of the exciting extracurricular opportunities next year is the newly created Sustainability and Stewardship Committee. This committee combines Greenwood’s pre-existing Environmental Committee and OE Committee to promote sustainable living, eco-friendly initiatives and land stewardship. 

Here’s a little more information about what environmental initiatives our current Environmental Committee spearheads, which will inform the new Sustainability and Stewardship Committee’s goals.
 
Heli Cronish ‘22 and Bayla Appleby ‘23 are the executive members of the Environmental Committee. As executive members, they organize many environmental initiatives at Greenwood such as the Meatless Mondays, Trashless Tuesdays, Thirsty Thursdays, Earth Week and Walk to School Day. This year, the Environmental Committee is also assisting with Greenwood’s accreditation as an EcoSchool, which would be a major step in establishing Greenwood as an environmentally friendly school.
 
Ever since she started attending Greenwood in Grade 7, Heli was always impressed with the numerous Environmental Committee initiatives; she was motivated to join as an executive member to take on those responsibilities. Bayla, who has always been passionate about the environment, applied as an executive to join the committee and make an impact.
 
Both executive members’ favourite Environmental Committee initiative is Meatless Mondays because it’s a great opportunity for students to try cooking and/or eating delicious vegetarian options. Part of what makes Meatless Mondays so successful is the cooperation from Greenwood’s Café, which in turn serves meatless options on those days. 
 
Heli is also excited for Earth Week in April with activities to be announced later on this month. Stay tuned!  
 
The Environmental Committee incentivizes students and staff to participate in these eco-friendly initiatives by assigning House points. Much of the work done by committee members involves tallying and recording which students earn House points.
 
For the executives, the most rewarding part of being on the Environmental Committee is knowing that small steps can lead to big changes. “If we educate kids on bringing reusable containers and eating meatless lunches, then it can help them bring that home,” says Heli, referring to the ripple effect that small actions can have on a greater community.
 
The executives highly encourage any interested students to join the new Sustainability and Stewardship Committee next year. While it is a large responsibility, it can be a super fun and rewarding experience with the right mindset. Bayla Appleby is also open to answering any questions that students may have about joining the committee. 
 
Whether students join as members or as executives, the Committee is sure to make an impact. Heli has plans to pursue environmental engineering for her postsecondary studies while Bayla will definitely continue environmental advocacy in the future! 
 
Learn more about these previously interviewed committees:
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