Paly Environmental Initiative has kicked off its Earth Week activities by setting up a lunchtime raffle station and shoe drive, according to sophomore Mikey Abrams, the club’s president.
Throughout the week, students will be able to write New Year’s environmental resolutions and submit them to a raffle for a chance to win a high-speed ride in a Tesla convertible. Club members will wear Paly Environmental Initiative t-shirts while facilitating the activities.
“We believe that if people take the time to think out one simple thing they can do, it’s more helpful than just repeating our same suggestions over and over again,” Abrams said. “A green lifestyle has to start from the person, rather than be forced upon them, to be successful.”
In a similar vein, sophomores Alex Carter and Emy Kelty came up with the idea for the shoe drive, which is collecting footwear for Soles4Souls to redistribute to needy communities around the globe.
“By doing this, the Paly community is not only helping the environment by recycling and reusing, we are also helping people,” Kelty said. “Any shoes that are not fit to be reused will be recycled to reduce trash.”
Students can bring shoes in any condition to the bins in the library entrance and the main office until Feb. 9, according to Kelty.
Club members selected activities to demonstrate the simple steps that students can take to reduce their impact on the environment, Abrams said.
“We want to show Paly that saving energy and helping the environment is not all just ‘doom and gloom’,” Abrams explained. “There are so many ways to help out the world, and have fun doing it.”
Today’s tie-dying activity promotes the recycling of old items into new, usable material or objects.
“It [tie-dying] is a great way to reuse and recycle your old t-shirts, turning what you already have into something new and creative rather than going out to buy new clothes,” Abrams said.
Thursday’s features include presentations and treats from such environmental companies as Canopy and Patagonia, as well as a bike race on the quad, according to Abrams. He added that interested participants should sign up at the beginning of lunch in heats of three students each.
Additionally, companies will be featuring as well as distributing environmentally-sustainable products on the last two days of the week, in order to show students that living green is not something out of their reach.
“Having companies that encourage sustainability come to show off their wares would be a great way for students to gain more exposure to their sustainable shopping options,” Abrams said. “For example, we have an organic lemonade company coming to provide samples. Now when students go to the store they will recognize that product and hopefully make the decision to purchase it instead of less eco-friendly options.”