Hello, my name is Elizabeth Nowlin and I was a founding member of the White Oak High School Green Team as well as its president from 2013-2015. In the mere three years I was in the Green Team, I had the pleasure of witnessing the club blossom from a brand new organization with very few members to a legitimate presence on White Oak’s campus. Green Team led community cleanups, recycling efforts, habitat restoration projects, as well as campus beatification efforts. During my time in office I wrote multiple grant proposals and received funding from the H.A.R.M.O.N.Y. youth philanthropy group for two projects: Fun to Farm Day and Food for Families. I also had the privilege of being a member of the first Green Team group to travel to Disney World and Universal Studies to participate in behind the scenes animal care at the Disney theme parks and environmental programs aimed at educating the public on environmental issues. I originally joined the White Oak High School Green Team as a favor to the founding president to boost membership. Never would I have imagined years ago the impact that Green Team would have on various aspects of my life. Academically I gained an abundance of knowledge related to animals, the environment, farming, and grant proposal writing to name a few. I gained the satisfaction that comes with giving back to my community through projects and volunteer efforts. Lastly, Green Team connected me to a community within my school that truly cared about the environment and shared my vision for a greater and greener campus and surrounding community. After high school I continued my education at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina where I am a rising sophomore. In my first year at Duke University I was a member of the Marching Band, the Pep Band, the club Women’s Ultimate Frisbee Team, the Environmental Alliance, and the Campus Keepers. I plan to major in Environmental Science and Policy with a certificate in Marine Science and Conservation Leadership and a minor in Earth and Ocean Sciences. |
When I first joined Green Team I never expected I would end up loving it so much. As a little freshman I was just trying to get another club into my résumé and that entailed occasionally picking up litter around the school and popping my head into club meetings. By the end of my senior year Green Team had become my favorite club and I found myself doing work both inside and outside of the club to help reduce my carbon footprint. First off, the people in the club were amazing. We all cared about the earth and wanted to make it as great as we could. Second off, the opportunities to help were incredible. I was able to help write a grant to provide equipment for goats and go to Disney world with behind the scenes tours. As a club we opened people's eyes to eating locally and planted trees and other various plants around the school and managed to paint a gazebo. Green Team really is a gem within our school and I'm proud to have been able to be the Vice President and watch it grow, kind of like my child but without the underlying resentment. Now in college, I still contribute to Green Team by trying to recycle as much as possible and going on street clean ups every month to keep our planet clean(er). I recommend Green Team to anyone and everyone since it's one of the few clubs that will make a lasting impact environmentally and spiritually.
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When I joined Green Team it was small and very informal. It had maybe 10 members but that didn’t stop me from becoming invested in it. The environment and how we care for it is something near and dear to me since I grew up enjoy the outdoors in various was such as camping and enjoy the coast. I saw the Green Team as a perfect way to get involved in the community and save the Earth at the same time. When I became the Treasurer we didn’t have an exact need for the position but I figured we would need one in the future. In fact my first official act as Treasurer was handling the cash box at our first Green Team yard sale!
I feel that the Green Team has left a very positive impact on White Oak. From redoing the gazebo, to winning the Harmony grant (several years in a row) and planting the fruit trees we did a lot of things for White Oak and the community. But that hasn’t only affected the community; it’s affected me too. I can actually go back to the campus and see what I’ve done and that makes me feel pretty good. Mother Earth is a pretty rad being and I learned a lot during my time as a member that has helped me be better prepared to care for her. I’m even looking for possible summer research opportunities in environmental studies because I was inspired by my time in the club. Sure this all sounds pretty cool and such and guess what that’s not where it ended. I’m still fighting to protect this awesome planet we call home. So currently I am studying Biochemistry at Saint Mary’s College of California (GO GAELS!) and plan on attending medical school afterwards. I’m involved in the SMC community as part of the Science Club, Green Gaels and working in the Legacy Garden. Green Gaels is the environmental club on campus and we’ve made strives to help SMC become more environmentally friendly. We’ve introduced Green Mondays, which are meatless Mondays in our dinning hall for the entire month of January, and Wasteless Wednesdays, where we strive to reduce waste as much as possible in the dinning hall. We recently added compost bins to all the dorm halls and trash areas in addition to the ones already located in the dinning hall. In fact, all of our to-go ware for eating is compostable! The Legacy Garden is a garden on campus that is student run and the produce is actually used in the dinning hall when it is harvested! |
My experience with the Green Team began in my sophomore year of high school. It was the first year that the club began for Matt’s senior project. I remember coming to the meetings, with just a few members, and working on Green Team’s first major project: soda can themed recycling bins. At the time that I joined the club, I was also taking AP Earth, so I saw Green Team as a great opportunity to actually make a difference in solving the problems that we were learning about in class. I continued my membership in Green Team through the rest of my years at White Oak, eventually working my way up to be the Secretary, and it was remarkable to see the club grow with me. Ten members became fifty members, and we even began receiving grants to fund our projects. Green Team promoted the idea of environmental consciousness and sustainability not just at White Oak, but also in the surrounding community. High school students were getting involved in real-world challenges that they can continue to be passionate about after graduation. While I was a member, I gained communication and leadership skills, as well as a stronger understanding of how much can be accomplished from the combined efforts of a team. Being a part of Green Team sparked a new interest in me that I will continue throughout college and beyond. I am currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering from Virginia Tech, and my goal for next year is to get involved in one of the many clubs on campus. Maybe, I could even spread the Green Team legacy to Blacksburg, VA. Go Hokies!
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During my high school experience, I wanted to find a way to get more involved with my school and the community that surrounded it rather than just attend boring classes all day. To my luck I heard of a group called the Green Team. I learned quickly that this was a group of students who would devote some of their own personal time after school to being strong advocates for keeping our school, our community, and our very own homes eco friendly. From beach clean ups, to planting trees, and even organizing a school garage sale to promote reusing and encourage upcycling.
As I saw Green Team grow it wasn’t hard to see it brought together a variety of different students and peers that all shared the same beliefs and goals as humanitarians willing to make the difference. Raising awareness, making a change, and encouraging others to do the same. This is a legacy I’m proud to say I was apart of. What I’ve taken away from being in this environmental club is that I look at my lifestyle and try to incorporate more eco friendly habits as simple as switching to a reusable water bottle, recycling when I can, taking shorter showers, and turning off electronic devices when I’m not using them. |