Earth day is an annual celebration of the Earth, and Fort Hamilton High School took it one step further, celebrating our planet for a whole week. Fort students celebrated Earth Week from April 17 through April 20, 2023, with spirit, friendly competition, and a desire for change.
The necessity of eco-friendly initiatives has increased in urgency over the last several years. Global temperatures are expected to soar to record levels in the next five years. While some organizations and governments are claiming to limit their carbon footprint, their efforts are not enough to keep up with the deterioration of the Earth.
The Willow Project, an oil drilling project along Alaska’s North Slope, is predicted to add more pressure on the environment. The project will allow ConocoPhillips, a multinational oil drilling company, to mine 600 million barrels of oil in Alaska. This will result in the emission of 9.3 million metric tons of carbon into the atmosphere. The project was approved by the United States government in March of this year to the dismay of many environmental activists.
Fort Hamilton is working to make small changes in the direction of a healthier planet. “Right now, Fort Hamilton is in the beginning stages of trying to go clean,” explained Coordinator of Student Activities, Ms. Diana DePaula. “It’s 2023, and we know that our planet is in desperate need of saving. I think for a school of our size, it’s our responsibility as humans who want to stay here to care for our planet.”
Organizing Earth Week was one way Student Government hoped to effect that change. Throughout the week, students were encouraged to wear a tote bag on Monday, bring a reusable water bottle on Tuesday, show off their “flower power” on Wednesday, and wear Green on Thursday.
In the cafeteria, those who completed those challenges were awarded with “Fort Goes Green” shirts, reusable water bottles, and flower seeds. Students signed a green pledge, promising to do their part to fight climate change.
Students also competed in Bottle Wars, a battle between the grades, to see who could recycle the most plastic water bottles. It was a close call, but the seniors won, knowing that they will graduate greener.
“Fort Hamilton’s first ever Earth Week turned out to be a success,” declared sophomore Devin Wong. “Earth Week encouraged more eco-friendly activities and led many people to be more conscious about the environment. Spirit week was very fun to participate in and helped highlight Earth Day.”
Earth Week provided an engaging opportunity for students to make more conscious decisions about their impact on the environment. “Earth Week was meant to celebrate the earth, but also just to educate because sometimes we do things just because we don’t understand the repercussions of those actions,” added Ms. DePaula. “That’s where Earth Week really stemmed from and Student Government was very excited to be able to promote that.”
The Fort Community continues its efforts to become more sustainable, even after Earth Week. Ms. De Paula founded the Green Team, which meets every Thursday, to discuss how to reduce waste, and promote care for the environment within the school community.
Ms. Ching and the American Red Cross club can be regularly found outside replenishing Fort’s gardens.
“In order for all of this to work out, we need to cooperate together and collaborate as a team,” Ms. DePaula told The Pilot. Taking a step towards sustainability is not always an easy task, but it is one that can be made possible when everyone works together.
