The Marist Green team is on a mission to take care of our world, starting with our school.
Among other things, they have added plants in the science patio and set out peanut butter and bird seed-coated pine cones for feathered friends who land on the campus.
“The focus of Green Team is to try to be better humans in the way that we interact with the world,” says environmental science teacher and club moderator Mr. Bilotto.
He believes that humans should try to live in the world in a way that doesn’t constantly take away from our environment.
“We should focus on seeing the value of earth, and treating it in an appropriate way,” he says.
That’s the mindset of the green team.
“Instead of using…plastic things, which we know are not good for our environment, we’ll try to use reusable things,” Bilotto says. “It’s being conscious of what you’re buying, and supporting companies that are trying to be better in terms of how they interact with the environment.”
Bilotto is working on getting reusable utensils and plates in the cafeteria. He also wants to start using the sun’s energy to power our school too.
“We’re hoping to get solar panels in the next year too, to start utilizing the sun’s energy to power our school too,” he said.
When Bilotto started teaching environmental science, it inspired him to assemble the green team. He wanted a way where students could do things outside of class time.
“So it’s not just my environmental science class who’s doing stuff, but also people who want to get involved,” he said.
Bilotto finds a lot of value being outside which he finds calming and peaceful.
“I just love nature. A lot of times in our society, we just value things based on dollar value. When you’re out in nature, you don’t think about the dollar value. It’s more of a feeling,” Bilotto said.
Bilotto wants students to join the club, email him or come by his room. If students want to join, he’s in room MH22 mornings and at the end of the day he’s in MH21.