S-WHS Earth Corps members reach out to peers, community

Most teenagers see Saturdays as an opportunity to sleep in.

For the 20 members of the Sedro-Woolley Earth Corps, Saturdays often mean slipping on a pair of work gloves, pulling blackberry bushes and planting trees.
Each month, club members volunteer a couple of their Saturdays to help restore land and repair trails. Their hard work has paid off as the club has been selected to receive Skagit Land Trust’s Annual Stewardship Award.

The award recognizes an exceptional group or volunteer who has worked hard and enthusiastically with the organization’s stewardship activities, said Alayna DuPont, Skagit Land Trust volunteer coordinator.

Luci Minor, Earth Corps president, has continued to contact the organization and find ways for the club to participate.

“This year we were really impressed with Earth Corps and their continued enthusiasm,” Dupont said. “They are really enthusiastic on getting out there.”
Minor said the club members are dedicated to what they do and enjoy helping out with stewardship activities. Upon receiving the award, Minor said she was amazed and that it felt good to receive the recognition.

“We don’t do this for recognition, we do it because we want to help,” Minor said. “But recognition is always nice.”

Volunteering for stewardship work in Skagit County isn’t the only activity Earth Corps is involved in. The club also tries to focus its energy with activities at the high school and around Sedro-Woolley.

About once a month students conduct a trash cleanup in town, Minor said. At the high school, club members assist with the recycling and compost system spearheaded by Minor as an independent study project. A composting and recycling system has been arranged for the high school’s lunch periods, and club members have helped monitor and educate their peers about the process.
Minor has also helped expand the composting efforts to several elementary schools in Sedro-Woolley.

Each week at the high school, Earth Corps members round up recycling totes and separate the contents. The recycling has become a fundraiser opportunity for the club as they earn money for aluminum products. The composting and recycling efforts at the high school have helped it save about $1,000 a month in waste fees, Minor said.

“I know composting and recycling isn’t the sure fix, it’s a very small thing we can do to help our environment,” she said. “We don’t have the resources to make more of a change, but we do what we can.”

There has been more awareness about food waste at the high school because of the compost and recycling efforts, said Mike Schweigert, Sedro-Woolley High School principal.

Club members are continuing their efforts in the community as they are holding the club’s first community Earth Celebration in May. It’s the biggest project of the year for Earth Corps and is the club’s largest contribution to the community, Minor said.

She said she is anticipating the event will have a farmers market atmosphere with environmental educational booths from local organizations set up.
The purpose of the all-ages event will be to inform people about environmental health through different children’s activities and educational opportunities for adults, Minor said. It should be a fun, educational festival, she said.

Minor said she thinks the event will be great for the community as the town needs more environmental educational opportunities. Environmental awareness seems to be a new fad, “but around here we live in an area where it’s not widely known,” she said.

The Earth Celebration could make a legacy for the Earth Corps club, and it would look good for the school, Minor said.

Schweigert said he is curious to see what the Earth Celebration will entail. As long as the event is well-planned, it should be exciting to see, he said.
“I think they’re going to learn a lot,” Schweigert said. “I support students wanting to take risks.”

DuPont said the Earth Corps members at Sedro-Woolley High School show clear leadership in the community. They are really impressive at their age and are serving as role models for their peers, she said.