By Erin Moy and
Michelle Yousefzadeh

The Environmental Club celebrated Earth Day April 22 with  ice cream, posters and stickers with tips about fighting global warming in order to raise awareness and enthusiasm for the environment. 

Ice cream was distributed to carpoolers in the quad, and trivia contests were held to expose students to environmental issues. Club co-president Julie Barzilay ’09 announced the winners and distributed eco-friendly prizes at class meetings. Candice Navi ’10 won a Trader Joe’s reusable bag, while juniors Cody Schott and Alex Sones and seniors Cassidy Horn, Alex Cohen and Alison Vreeland won Jamba Juice reusable cups.

Beyond the environmentally-friendly prizes, “announcing the facts and winners at grade assemblies is a huge part of the process because it puts the environment on people’s radar screen,” Barzilay said.  “Every step is meaningful.”

Throughout the year, the Environmental Club has organized beach cleanups and contests and collected batteries, cell phones and ink cartridges to dispose of them properly, so as to help reduce toxins released to the Earth.  These projects allow kids to “go out into nature and help directly, while indirectly fostering awareness of the Earth,” Barzilay said.