Environmental Club sponsors recycling activities

Posted on Nov 21, 2005

In recognition of America Recycles Day on November 15, the Environmental Club distributed promise cards provided by Connecticut Recyclers Coalition. Students and staff participated in a recycling challenge by completing the cards with a promise to reduce, reuse, recycle and buy products made from recycled materials. The cards have been entered to both state and national drawings for prizes. Lauralton has participated in the program for the past three years and has won prizes on the state level each year: a Dell computer on behalf of Kathleen Keenoy, ’07, $150 toward the purchase of library books on behalf of Jane Becker, ’07 and a bench made from recycled milk bottles on behalf of Mary Kate Collins, ’05. This year students, administrators and faculty and staff members entered 386 promise cards. “Everyone hopes that we will win again; that would make it four years in a row,” said Ashley Blau ’07, secretary of the Environmental Club.

The third annual trash-free lunch marathon started off with theme music from Jaws pulsating over the PA system during morning announcements. As the music swelled to a crescendo, Colleen Kerrisk, ’06, Vice President of the club, announced, “Just when you thought it was safe to go to the cafeteria, TRASH-FREE LUNCH IS BACK!” From November 16 through 18, any student who brought in lunch in a permanent container had the opportunity to enter a raffle to win one of many extraordinary prizes. Sara Brennan ’06, President of the Environmental Club, told the students, “Trash-free lunch means that the lunch is in a permanent, reusable container such as Rubbermaid or Tupperware, instead of a zip-lock bag or foil.” No plastic forks or paper napkins were permitted. Students with permanent water bottles were also eligible to enter the raffle. “Raffle prizes are great this year because they stick with our theme of being environmentally friendly,” club member Nicole Bouley, ’06, pointed out. Members got together and assembled great organic gift baskets. The “basket weavers “ were sophomores Lindsey Cavallaro, Colleen Clark, Leanna Hartnack, Kellie Haselkamp, Mary-Megan Marshall, Jen Sledge, Abbey Stein and Laura Turner, along with freshmen Jennettie Amidon, Casey Harrington, Amanda Teplen and Julia Turner. Freshmen Allison Graff and JoAnna Fifer put together the biggest basket, and senior Nicole Bouley couldn’t stop at one basket, but contributed two. “All the girls worked really, really hard,” Andrea Archer ’06, club secretary, noted. Additional prizes included Burt’s Bees samplers, water bottles and bracelets that promote the purchase of cruelty-free products. One of the club’s major contributors of raffle prizes is Kathy Franco, mother of Eva Franco, ’06. For the past three years, she has contributed Toys-R-Us gift certificates. “Toys-R-Us gift certificates really motivate the students to go trash-free,” said Donna DiMassa, club moderator. “What a fun raffle prize to win! We’re very thankful for Kathy Franco’s steadfastness in providing these prizes.” The entire point of the trash-free lunch marathon is to get students to think about the choices that they make•a reusable container or a throw-away bag. Our students live along the coastline; many of their plastic bags end up in the Sound. The bags look like food to unsuspecting turtles; turtles want their lunches to be trash-free, too!