The days of play dates, frisbee games, pool parties, and frequent park goings are long gone for many Schreiber students as they struggle with their hectic lives. However, students who feel overwhelmed by the weight of their busy schedules often choose to participate in one of Schreiber’s eclectic and fun clubs, Treehuggers.
For the students who want to get away from their school work and enjoy nature, the school’s Treehuggers group is a popular destination. One of the most notable of this group’s achievements was the introduction of the hydration station late last year. The club focuses on protecting the environment with practical adaptations such as changing to reusable water bottles and cleaning up the school grounds. The group holds meetings 7: 30 Thursday mornings.
“I love extracurriculars and because of that I probably do way too many of them,” said Treehuggers co-president senior Alison Peraza. “It’s so important for our school to have a Treehuggers club, just like all colleges do.”
The club is an environmentally friendly and relaxing place for all those earth-minded students to dirty their hands, figuratively and literally, with the job of turning the school green. The new vegetable garden in the courtyard is a perfect example. Recently, the group has organized and participated in a number of special events.
Schreiber’s Treehuggers took on the controversial topic of fracking, the practice used by large oil companies in which pressurized carbon dioxide is used to force raw natural gas or oil out of the earth. They helped organize a rally in Nassau County to prevent this practice, which they deride as harmful, and the event received a large turnout.
The school’s first ever Hydration station greatly helped the recycling deficiencies of the school. Since its installation, the words “will you stop at the hydration station with me?” and “I need to go to the hydration station” can be heard throughout the halls of Schreiber, and a line often forms in front of it during periods 4.1 and 4.2.
In another realm of Schreiber’s recycling world, the Treehuggers Cap Recycling program is one of the newest additions to the school. Small containers have been placed in one of the two holes in all the recycling bins around campus to collect plastic bottle caps. This little addition has greatly aided in the school’s ability to separate bottles and caps, which should be recycled separately to maximize the efficiency of the recycling process.
Finally, an annual vegetarian dinner held by the Treehuggers, is open to all, vegetarians or otherwise, to protest the unsanitary conditions and harsh treatment of animals in the food industry.
“It is a fun, tight knit club that is always looking for a way to help. We are always open to new members and encourage all to come share in our passion for helping the environment,” said Treehuggers co-president senior Renee Cohen.
Treehuggers is a very proactive organization, and the changes they have been able to achieve in just three short years shows promise for the both the future of the group and the future of the environment, one step at a time.