by Randi Arizona ’13

The recent Earth Day shines a light on the Green Team, a club that has existed for many years, with the overall effort to make the school as environmentally “green” as possible.

A primary goal of the Green Team is to make Sherwood more energy efficient. “We need to use more task lamps and natural light; many rooms have access to windows that can be opened to provide enough light to work, especially in the afternoon classes,” said Assistant Principal and Administrative Sponsor Terry Heintze. Some teachers have started doing this, but many haven’t according to Heintze.

On a weekly basis, the Green Team picks up cans and bottles around the school from recycling bins, while retrieving any that were incorrectly thrown in the trash, to bring them outside to a recycling dumpster. This not only helps the environment, but encourages students to be mindful about where they discard their trash.

The club, sponsored by ESOL teacher Ann Gallahan, meets every Thursday after school to come up with new ideas and keep on track with its recycling. There are about 30 students involved in the program regularly, but the meetings are open to everyone interested. “We have signs around the trash cans that remind people to recycle, and people do. They don’t want to throw that bottle in the trash, they want to recycle it and do the right thing,” said Gallahan.