Inhabitable planets are hard to find, and ours seems to be dying by the day. Fortunately, the Green Team is here to make a difference.

Test your environmental I.Q. by answering the following.

• Americans comprise 5% of the earth’s population. What percentage of natural resources do Americans consume?
• How many Americans live in conditions with such high air pollution levels that the government considers it harmful to their health?
• How many tons of sewage do Americans dump into rivers, lakes, and oceans every minute?

The Green Team exists because of the painful answers to these and many more questions. The U.S. consumes over 30% of the earth’s resources, 110 million Americans live in dangerous conditions of air pollution and, every minute, Americans dump 16 tons of sewage into the water.

Recently, WJ alumnus and founder of the Green Team Roman Gioglio observed, “There’s an incredible gap between our school’s knowledge and participation in sustainable actions compared to society.” He also explained, “Showing the administration that you are persistent and will not stop until the right thing is done is the sustainable thing.” Roman left Walsh Jesuit with the legacy of this club, as he was its driving force.

Senior Gavin Gronowski shared why he joined the Green Team, “I can see the effects of climate change every day, and I want to learn about what is going on.”

The current leader of the Green Team, junior Sydney Speer, said that the team will be doing “fun projects throughout the year to make our school more sustainable” and that “it is the little things that count.”

Some of those projects include accepting the nationwide Ignatian Carbon Challenge, which includes different tasks the school community can take on, such as creating repurposed Christmas decorations and trimming a tree with re-purposed ornaments. Another activity involves planning for Earth Week, which will be a spirited, week-long event with different themes for each day. The team will decide the themes and design the shirts soon, so do not miss the chance to get involved and offer suggestions.

The November 30 Green Team meeting had only ten dedicated attendees compared to the average twenty-five of last year, which shows that Walsh Jesuit must step their game up. The team needs more participants in the Ignatian Carbon Challenge. Students with creative ideas and who want to make a difference. In short, students who believe the earth is worth saving.